Technology, Process and Cost

ZTE 5G AAU Chipset

By Yole SystemPlus — Apr 2023

Technical and cost analysis of the ZTE 5G AAU Chipset. Exploiting 5G sub-6 GHz massive Multiple Input Multiple Output (mMIMO) and 5G new radio, ZTE has introduced an active antenna system

SPR23725

Key Features

Light teardown of the system
Detailed optical and SEM images
Precise measurements
Materials analysis
Manufacturing process flow
Supply chain evaluation
Manufacturing cost analysis

What's new

Light teardown of the ZTE 5G AAU (base station)
Detailed technical and cost analysis of selected devices
Analysis of the ZTE 5G AAU chipsets, antenna elements, PCB, and design

ZTE is one of the five major OEMs leading the base station market. Yole Intelligence assumes that sub6 GHz 5G (fifth generation) deployments will be the majority by the end of 2023, of which almost 45% will be massive MIMO (mMIMO) active antenna systems (AASs).

Within the scope of 5G mMIMO and 5G new radio (NR), and targeting the sub6 GHz frequencies (2515MHZ ~ 2675MHz), ZTE introduced its 5G Active Antenna Unit (AAU). The AAU is a 64-transceiver (TR) chain system. Unlike in traditional base stations, where passive antennas are connected to the remote radio head (RRH) systems via RF cables (thus two different units, namely the RRH and the antennas)), AASs integrate the antennas and the TR chains in one single unit. Some of the benefits of the AASs are as follows: firstly, AASs are very compact and therefore they save / optimize space. In other words, no extra physical space is needed on already-established network sites (reduction in site footprint). Secondly, AASs are energy efficient (i.e., less cable losses compared to traditional systems). Moreover, AASs save time and economize money by cutting installation time and costs. Finally, AASs are also scalable.

The ZTE 5G AAU is designed for outdoor installations and intended for pole, wall, tower, or mast mounting. Since the AAU has four main PCBs with many (different) components, we have selected the major components from three different PCBs in order to analyze them.

This report includes an investigation of the system, both detailed and light technical studies of the major components (Intel Stratix 10 1SG280LN2F43I2LGAA, Marvell 98DX-BVG4, ADI AD80460, ADI ADRF5546, Ampleon BLM 10D2327-40AB, AMD (Xilinx) ZYNQ XCZU15EG, and RENESAS F1478), including die analyses, processes, and cross-sections. The report provides thorough EDX analyses of the antenna element and the antenna PCB. Based on the physical analyses performed, assumptions on the ZTE 5G AAU system’s functionality are made, and the corresponding block diagrams are provided. This report also contains cost analyses of the identified main components of the ZTE 5G AAU.

Do you have an account?

Search

ZTE 5G AAU Chipset

Technical and cost analysis of the ZTE 5G AAU Chipset. Exploiting 5G sub-6 GHz massive Multiple Input Multiple Output (mMIMO) and 5G new radio, ZTE has introduced an active antenna system