Dataquest Insight Teardown a 156864

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DataquestPublication Date: 13 May 2008 ID Number: G00156864

2008 Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction and distribution of this publication in any formwithout prior written permission is forbidden. The information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed tobe reliable. Gartner disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information. AlthoughGartner's research may discuss legal issues related to the information technology business, Gartner does not provide legaladvice or services and its research should not be construed or used as such. Gartner shall have no liability for errors,omissions or inadequacies in the information contained herein or for interpretations thereof. The opinions expressed hereinare subject to change without notice.

Dataquest Insight: Teardown and Semiconductor CostAnalysis of "One Laptop per Child's" XO-1 Laptop

Amy Teng, Alfonso Velosa, Jamie Wang, Ben Lee

The "One Laptop per Child" (OLPC) project aims to provide children throughout theworld with a low-cost laptop. The first product launched by the organization is the XO-1laptop. This report analyzes the circuit design of the XO-1 through a physical"deconstruction" of the equipment. In this report, we provide analysis of semiconductorfunctions and costs, including annotated photographs of its printed circuit boards (PCBs)and a list of the main integrated circuits (ICs).

Key Findings

The XO-1 laptop uses an embedded processor structure rather than the x86 architecturefavored by most mobile PCs.

OLPC designers used a number of application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), aproprietary LCD module and special battery cells in the XO-1. This will make it difficult tofind alternative vendors of XO-1 components, and to reduce the laptop's costs.

Double data rate (DDR) memory increases the overall cost of semiconductors in the XO-1 because it is not a mainstream type of memory.

Lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries make the XO-1 a safe and environmentally-friendly laptop, but they cost more than traditional Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) batteries.

Recommendations

System designers should consider speed a key design concern for mobile PCs aimed atchildren. Children can be impatient and slow system speeds can lead to loss of interestand may hamper learning.

Mobile PC manufacturers targeting emerging markets and remote countries shouldfocus on logistic fulfillment, technical support and customer services, in addition tocreating durable products.

Semiconductor vendors and investors should recognize that the XO-1 is sold togovernments rather than to consumers and should ensure that customers have asustainable purchasing plan to help guarantee future sales.


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Publication Date: 13 May 2008/ID Number: G00156864 Page 2 of 15

2008 Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Analysis ............................................................................................................................................. 3Introduction........................................................................................................................... 3XO-1 Specifications.............................................................................................................. 3System Overview.................................................................................................................. 4Design Considerations ......................................................................................................... 8

Designed To Be Serviced Easily ............................................................................. 8Designed To Be Durable ......................................................................................... 8Unique Design Features.......................................................................................... 9

LiFePO4 Battery......................................................................................... 9Transflective Dual-Mode LCD .................................................................... 9

System Block Diagram....................................................................................................... 10Main ICs and Components................................................................................................. 11Semiconductor Cost ........................................................................................................... 13

Background and Context ................................................................................................................. 13The Impact....................................................................................................................................... 14Conclusion....................................................................................................................................... 14

Recommended Reading.................................................................................................................. 14

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. XO-1 Specifications............................................................................................................. 3Table 2. List of Main Integrated Circuits in XO-1............................................................................. 12Table 3. Cost Analysis by Semiconductor Type.............................................................................. 13

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. The XO-1 Laptop................................................................................................................ 5Figure 2. XO-1 With LCD and Front Frame Removed...................................................................... 7Figure 3. XO-1 With LCD Rear Panel Removed............................................................................... 8Figure 4. LCD Pixel Arrangement.................................................................................................... 10Figure 5. XO-1 System Block Diagram ........................................................................................... 11Figure 6. XO-1 System PCB............................................................................................................ 12


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System Overview

Figure 1 shows the layout of the XO-1. Users of the XO-1 can fold its LCD screen over itskeyboard so that it functions like a tablet PC. OLPC incorporated a four-direction pad andmultifunction buttons on the side of the XO-1 (see Figure 1) because its LCD does not havetouch-screen functionality.


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Figure 1. The XO-1 Laptop

USB = Universal Serial Bus, WLAN = wireless LAN

Source: Gartner (May 2008)

Unlike in most mobile PCs, the XO-1's system printed circuit board (PCB) is located behind itsLCD panel. The PCB for the battery, keyboard and touchpad is in the lower part of the PC.


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Figures 2 and 3 show the XO-1's connectors and system PCB with the LCD and plastic panelsremoved.


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Figure 2. XO-1 With LCD and Front Frame Removed

LED = light-emitting diode, PCB = printed circuit board



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Figure 3. XO-1 With LCD Rear Panel Removed

SD = Secure Digital, USB = Universal Serial Bus, PCB = printed circuit board, WLAN = wireless LAN


Design Considerations

OLPC developed unique designs to meet the needs of children in emerging nations. As a result,the laptop is both easy to service and durable.

Designed To Be Serviced EasilyDesigners working on the OLPC project recognized that children using the XO-1 would notalways have access to repair shops or someone to help them fix the laptop if it broke. Thesedesigners wanted the XO-1 to be easy to fix, and two aspects of its design illustrate this:

Only one type of screw is used in the XO-1. The laptop can be dismantled quickly usingonly a Philips head screwdriver.

Spare screws for the XO-1 are housed in its plastic casing.

Designed To Be Durable

The XO-1 was designed to meet the challenges of life in emerging nations. The laptopdemonstrates this through several features:

The casing is made from thick plastic.

Rounded angles limit damage to the laptop if it is dropped.

A textured surface and handle make it easy to grip.


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The Wi-Fi antenna flips up to support wireless access, but they also serve as latches tosecure the LCD.

The keyboard has a rubber membrane that protects it from spillages and dust.

Unique Design Features

The XO-1 incorporates two electronic specifications not commonly seen in conventional mobilePCs.

LiFePO4 Battery

The XO-1 uses a LiFePO4 battery and, while it costs more and shows poorer energy density thana Li-Ion battery of the same size, it does have some advantages.

It is safer and does not generate oxygen, so it can work in hot environments withoutexploding. In addition, it does not contain any toxic heavy-metals.

Because LiFePO4 batteries are safer than Li-Ion batteries, they do not need externalcircuits to monitor the battery status and to prevent the risk of over current andoverheating.

It has a longer life span and more cycle charges than a Li-Ion battery.

The molecular structure of LiFePO4 batteries allows large current operations and meansthey charge faster than other batteries.

Transflective Dual-Mode LCD

The XO-1's LCD screen operates in two modes. When the laptop's backlight is turned on, itoperates in color mode with a resolution of 800 x 600. Once the backlight is turned off, the XO-1switches to black-and-white mode and the LCD resolution increases to 1200 x 900. This displaymode was designed for use in conditions with lots of light, where light can be reflected by theLCD screen as backlight. Transflective screens reflect most of the sunlight they are exposed to,and can increase or decrease their brightness automatically depending on the light conditions.

In addition, the XO-1's LCD pixel arrangement differs from the vertical striped RGB pattern inmost mobile PCs. The squared and interlaced pixel pattern (shown in Figure 4) supports theincreased resolution in black-and-white mode. This display arrangement means that the XO-1uses an ASIC, Himax HX8837-A010LAG, to control the LCD.


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Figure 4. LCD Pixel Arrangement

OLPC = One Laptop per Child, RGB = red, green, blue


System Block Diagram

Most mobile PCs with an x86 architecture contain a CPU and a set of northbridge andsouthbridge chips. To create an affordable laptop that meets the needs of children, OLPCdesigners chose to use AMD's Geode LX-700 embedded processor, which integrates the CPUand northbridge IC. The XO-1 uses Geode's companion device, AMD CS5536AD, as itssouthbridge IC (see Figure 5).

The XO-1 has two additional ASICs. Its LCD controller IC is the Himax HX8837-A010LAG, made

by Chi Mei Optoelectronics and Broadcom's 88ALP01, a SD, NAND and camera controller.


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Figure 5. XO-1 System Block Diagram

IC = Integrated Circuit, DAC = digital-to-analog converter, DDR = double data rate, LDO = low drop-out, LCD = liquidcrystal display


Main ICs and Components

The major ICs and components on the XO-1's system PCB are identified in Figure 6. More detailis provided in Table 2.


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Figure 6. XO-1 System PCB


Table 2. List of Main Integrated Circuits in XO-1

Semiconductor

Type

Vendor Part

Number/Marking

Description Units

ASSP Marvell 88W8388-BDK1 802.11a/b/g WLANsystem-on-chip(SoC) IC

1

ASSP Marvell 88W8015-NNB1 802.11a/b/g WLANtransceiver IC

1

ASSP AMD ALXC700EETHCVD Geode LX-700embeddedprocessor

1

ASSP AMD CS5536AD Southbridge IC 1

ASSP ENE KB3700 Keyboardcontroller

1

Memory Hynix HY5DU121622CTP-J 32M x 16 DDR333SDRAM

4

Memory Hynix HY27UG088G5M-TPCB

NAND flash, 1Gbx, single-level cell(SLC)

1


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SemiconductorType

Vendor PartNumber/Marking

Description Units

Memory ESMT M12S16161A-LZS1P71AZ

1M x 16 SDRAM 1

Analog Winbond W83152RG-G09 Clock generator 1

Analog Analog Device AD1888JCPZ AC 97 codec IC 1Analog Fujitsu MB39A129PFV Power

management IC,with batterycharger

1

ASIC Marvell 88ALP01 Peripheralcomponentinterconnect (PCI)to NAND, SD andcamera hostcontroller

1

ASIC Himax HX8837-A010LAG LCD controller IC 1

ASSP = application-specific standard product, ASIC = application-specific integrated circuit, IC = integrated circuit, SDRAM =

synchronous dynamic RAM, WLAN = wireless LANSource: Gartner (May 2008)

Semiconductor Cost

Table 3 shows that application-specific standard products (ASSPs) account for the largest shareof semiconductor costs in the XO-1. Moreover, the AMD Geode LX-700 embedded processoraccounts for more than 70% of total ASSP costs.

Table 3. Cost Analysis by Semiconductor Type

Semiconductor Type Cost ($) Cost share

ASSP 34.33 54.6%

Memory 13.88 22.1%

ASIC 6.68 10.6%

Analog 3.75 6.0%

Discrete 1.64 2.6%

General-Purpose Logic 1.96 3.1%

Optical Semiconductors 0.69 1.1%

Total 62.93 100.0%

ASSP = application-specific standard product, ASIC = application-specific integrated circuit


BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT

OLPC is chaired by Nicholas Negroponte and sponsored by organizations including AMD,Brightstar, eBay, Google, Marvell, News Corporation, SES, Nortel Networks and Red Hat. Theinitial goal of the organization was to provide children in emerging countries with otherwise


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unavailable technology to support their education. OLPC aimed to design and distribute laptopsto governments willing to adopt the policy of "one laptop per child."

Taiwanese original design manufacturer (ODM) Quanta Computer manufactures the laptop andbegan full-scale production in November 2007. Under the "give one, get one" program, the XO-1costs $400 ($200 per laptop). Governments that have committed to buy laptops for theirschoolchildren include Argentina, Brazil, Libya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Thailand and Uruguay.

THE IMPACT

OLPCs XO-1 is the first global-scale project that aims to improve education for children inemerging countries through specially-designed computers. Because OLPC is a not-for-profitinitiative, it is difficult to attract investment from vendors. The association relies on subsidies andcommitments from governments to lower prices for the XO-1. OLPC faces competition fromexisting PC vendors. However, if the project succeeds, it will demonstrate a new business modelthat might attract vendors with the promise of further profits.

CONCLUSION

Gartner's teardown of the XO-1 indicates that the OLPC initiative succeeded in designing a low-cost laptop. We estimate the semiconductor cost to be less than $61. The XO-1 boasts a uniquedesign based on the AMD Geode LX-700 embedded processor, which is supported by a varietyof ASICs, ASSPs and non-mainstream DRAM memory. However, these design choices have ledto tradeoffs in functionality that may limit its use by children.

Gartner found the XO-1 to be slow to power-up, to navigate Web pages and to respond to keystrokes. The design choices also limit the potential to reduce the price of the XO-1 in the future.Given the limitations of the current design, governments and non-governmental organizationsmay be better served waiting for the next generation of computers from OLPC.

The competitive landscape of the mobile PC market keeps pushing average selling prices ofmobile PCs down to reach a larger market. Gartner believes that the OLPC initiative will beaffected by pressure from larger PC vendors. These companies hold greater purchasing power

and have more experience and better-established infrastructures for selling PCs with added valueand well-delivered customer service packages.

RECOMMENDED READING

"Dataquest Insight: Forecast Scenarios for Education Ultralow-Cost Mobile PCs, Worldwide"

"Dataquest Insight: Successful IT Hardware Strategies for Emerging Markets"

This document is published in the following Market Insights:

Semiconductor Applications WorldwideSemiconductor Industry Asia/PacificSemiconductor Industry Worldwide


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