SmartDV’s USB4 Router/Fabric IP is a configurable USB4 tunneling and routing solution purpose-built for SoC designs requiring the core switching fabric at the heart of any USB4 host, device, hub, or docking station implementation. Compliant with USB4 v2.0, it implements the complete USB4 function stack — Protocol Adapter Layer, Configuration Layer, Transport Layer, and Logical/Electrical Layer interface — that selects the best transmission route between two points and forwards USB4 data packets across the fabric, tunneling USB3, PCIe, and DisplayPort protocol traffic over a shared high-speed link.
Designed around USB4’s own architecture, where host, device, and hub routers share a single defined function stack and differ only in port count, active protocol adapters, and Connection Manager role, the IP is a single configurable core rather than separate host, device, and hub products. It supports configurable port count for host, simple device, or multi-port hub topologies, an optional embedded PCIe switch module for hub-class configurations, and a flexible protocol adapter interface for attaching SmartDV’s DisplayPort IN/OUT Adapter IP, USB3 protocol adapters, and PCIe protocol adapters. Its Time Management Unit (TMU) support enables clock synchronization across routers on the USB4 fabric, and its Connection Manager interface supports both host-authoritative and device-subordinate operation.
Built for design flexibility and silicon efficiency, the IP core is highly configurable for both ASIC and FPGA implementations, with a strong focus on area optimization, power management, and peak performance. Its parameterized adapter and port architecture and clean host interface enable fast integration across a wide range of process nodes and target applications.