Air Semi Proclaims its First GPS Chip a Success

July 7, 2008

Air Semiconductor says it has proven the GPS technology for its first product, Airwave1, in development tests involving geotagging images on commercial digital cameras.

In a demonstration an Airwave1 prototype was able to geotag photographs taken with a commercial digital still camera, according to Air Semi. Its GPS technology consumes approximately 1 percent of the power consumed by conventional GPS circuitry, according to the company. It is therefore able to continuously track the location of battery-operated devices even when they are switched-off, Air Semi said.

In the case of digital cameras, images can be geotagged instantly, according to the company. Airwave1 also retains the last coordinates measured before entering a building and can use these to provide a close estimate of location when a photo is taken inside, Air Semi said.

The startup chip designer said it is already working closely with several major digital camera manufacturers via the company's representative offices in Taipei, Taiwan, and Tokyo. "Taiwan is a key market for us, which is why we have established a partnership here in the form of our representative AMOD Technology Co. Ltd.," said Stephen Graham, Air Semiconductor founder. "Cameras are where Air's initial focus lies and critical OEMs and ODMs are located here in Taiwan."

While it looks to digital cameras, Air Semi said there is also a commercial opportunity in mobile handsets and gaming devices for its technology.

First samples of Airwave1 will be available to customers in early 2009. The chip contains all RF and digital hardware and the software needed to calculate location data, according to the company.

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