Embedded Processor Watch

Editor: Jim Turley

In This Issue:

• Intel Appears Bullish on StrongARM
• ST Gets PowerPC License; IBM Gets x86; Both Work on Disk Drives
• EPOC Operating System Moves to Symbian
• ARM Sneaks Into PlayStation Video Game
• Embedded Software Advice Comes Free via E-Mail
• Industry Resources: Report Details ARM/Piccolo DSP Performance
• Industry Resources: Get Balmy With Other Intel Developers
• New Embedded Support Logic

Intel Appears Bullish on StrongARM

Apparently breaking its vow of silence regarding StrongARM, Intel has revealed that it has formed a second design group for StrongARM CPU cores in Chandler (Ariz.). We believe the new group is developing a second-generation "SA2" core that will be used in future integrated processors, which may appear sometime in 2000.

Intel still produces and sells the SA-110 and SA-1100 processors it acquired from Digital Semiconductor (see Microprocessor Report 11/17/97, p. 1). Quantity prices are $27 to $39 and $29 to $40, the same as Digital's prices. The SA-1500 media processor, however, is nowhere to be found, putting it behind Digital's original schedule of samples in 1H98 (see Microprocessor Report 12/8/97, p. 12).

The two existing StrongARM chips are still built on the Hudson (Mass.) fab belonging to Digital, a situation we expect to persist for the lifetime of these parts. Digital's designers were notorious for fine- tuning their circuits (Alpha and StrongARM among them) for the characteristics of their process technology, making it difficult for Intel to shift these chips to another fab. Future StrongARM parts, whether from the new Chandler center or from the primary design center in Massachusetts, will likely be targeted for Intel fab processes, at which time the Hudson fab may be either retired or refitted.

If the new SA chips appear in 2000, they may debut in 0.18-micron technology, making them among the most advanced embedded processors at that time. As with the original StrongARM, the combination of architecture, clever circuit design, and advanced fab processes could make the new StrongARM chips potent competitors for low-power systems. Until Intel reveals more of its plans, however, potential customers will have to speculate--and wait.

ST Gets PowerPC License; IBM Gets x86; Both Work on Disk Drives

In a deal similar to the AMD/Motorola alliance (see Embedded Processor Watch #5 FLASH), IBM Microelectronics and ST Microelectronics (formerly SGS-Thomson) have concluded an agreement to swap processor designs and patents. The Franco-American accord aims to create single-chip controllers for hard disk drives and PC-compatible controllers for network appliances and set-top boxes.

Starting immediately, IBM will become a second source for the STPC Consumer, an integrated processor with a 486 core and most of a PC motherboard on the device (see Microprocessor Report 8/4/97, p. 1). The agreement calls for the two firms to share four new x86 cores, at the rate of one per year. ST expects to add Pentium-class performance and MMX-compatible extensions within that time frame. The two companies will integrate these CPUs with their own peripheral controllers, competing for integrated design wins in the commercial market.

The other half of the deal calls for an exchange of IBM's PowerPC for ST's DSP cores and read-channel electronics, which the companies will pool to create single-chip disk-drive controllers. Between the PowerPC, DSP, and read-channel, the two companies should be able to integrate all the electronics required for a disk drive, including head, motor, data separation, and interface functions. Finally, the two are exchanging patent portfolios in an unlimited cross-license agreement.

The deal makes ST a new PowerPC licensee, although with one caveat: it can use the PowerPC architecture only in data-storage controllers, not in general-purpose microprocessors that might compete with IBM (and Motorola).

The IBM/ST alliance comes on the heels of a similar deal between ARM, Cirrus, and Lucent to create single-chip disk controllers (see Embedded Processor Watch #4). IBM is also an ARM licensee, and could potentially play both sides of this division. The company feels, however, that its PowerPC/DSP design will be more successful than the new ARM approach. Given that ARM currently has no presence in data storage, while ST's chips are quite popular, this is probably a correct assessment.

It also gets IBM into the PC-on-a-chip business that ST and National Semiconductor have been pursuing with mixed results. The two partners feel that PC compatibility is a vital feature for new set-top boxes and related appliances, a theory that has yet to be proven.

EPOC Operating System Moves to Symbian

Three European technology firms have joined forces to peddle an embedded operating system for portable wireless devices such as telephones and PDAs. The new venture, called Symbian (http://www.symbian.com), is jointly owned by British PDA maker Psion, Swedish telecommunications giant Ericsson, and its Finnish counterpart Nokia.

Symbian's major purpose is to license the EPOC operating system, which it now owns. Psion surrendered control of the OS it developed so it can focus on PDAs, and to avoid appearing to compete with EPOC's potential licensees.

Psion holds 40% ownership of Symbian, with Ericsson and Nokia splitting the remainder. Motorola, perpetually late to the digital party, has signed a memo of understanding to join the group as a fourth partner.

In the PDA space, EPOC already competes with Windows CE and 3Com's PalmOS. For cell phones, no standards have yet emerged. Symbian touts the platform independence of EPOC, but the OS currently runs only on PCs (for development) and ARM chips (not incidentally, also of European origin). This should be good news for ARM licensees, which already do good business with the wireless manufacturers. If Symbian succeeds in its goal of spreading EPOC throughout the wireless world, it could be the closest thing yet to a standard operating system for cell phones and PDAs.

ARM Sneaks Into PlayStation Video Game

Later this year Sony will roll out an inexpensive add-on to its immensely successful PlayStation video game. The creatively named PDA (personal digital assistant) is a Tomagotchi-like device that plugs into the handheld controller of a standard PlayStation. The PDA contains an ARM7 processor, 2K of SRAM, 128K of flash memory, an IrDA port, and a 32x32 monochrome LCD display. The $30 unit will act as a combination memory card and a game/clock/toy in its own right. North American sales should begin in 2Q99.

Although Sony has been an ARM licensee for many years, this is the first public announcement of an ARM-based product from the company.

The PlayStation has been hugely profitable for Sony, considered the most successful product in the company's history and bringing in 22% of the Japanese giant's revenue in fiscal 1998. PlayStation sales are at 30 million and rising, making it the most popular game console, worldwide. Sony's PDA should add a bit of life to the system before the company overhauls the PlayStation sometime in 2001.

Embedded Software Advice Comes Free via E-Mail

Habitual programmer, embedded speaker, consulting technical editor, and all-around nice guy Jack Ganssle is also the editor of The Embedded Muse, an electronic newsletter delivered about twice a month via e-mail. Ganssle's topics range from writing firmware, to meeting schedule deadlines, to finding and fixing bugs, to resisting feature creep.

Subscriptions are free. To sign up, visit http://www.ganssle.com.

Industry Resources: Report Details ARM/Piccolo DSP Performance

The DSP aficionados at Berkeley Design Technology have completed a lengthy evaluation of Piccolo, the DSP coprocessor for ARM7. The results of their earnest endeavor are available in a 180-page report full of charts, graphs, and tables that will help designers understand the performance capabilities of Piccolo-based chips. It includes clock-by- clock benchmark analyses and comparisons with SH-DSP, ADSP-21xx, 'C54x, and Oak DSP cores.

Single copies of the report sell for $950, with a discount for additional copies. For more information, or to order, contact BDTI (Berkeley, Calif.) at 510.665.1600 or visit http://www.bdti.com.

Industry Resources: Get Balmy With Other Intel Developers

The annual Intel Developers' Forum will be held in balmy Palm Springs (Calif.) September 15-17. The Intel-run conference is organized into four tracks that roughly emphasize consumer, business, sever, and mobile platforms. Several optional labs cover electrical-design issues, analysis tools, power measurement, storage, thermal design, and system management. Craig Barrett, Pat Gelsinger, and other Intel luminaries will be among the speakers.

Early registration (before 8/13) runs $795 for all three days; late registration adds $200. An extra $75 grants blanket access to all the labs. For more information, or to register, contact IDF (Seattle) at 206.695.7886 or visit http://developer.intel.com/design/idf.

New Embedded Support Logic

The following new ICs might be of interest to embedded designers.

A42MX09, A42MX16 (Actel) Field-programmable parts have 9,000 ('09) or 16,000 ('16) logic gates and small, 14-mm packaging; clock-to-output speeds down to 5.6 ns. Price: $6.40/50,000; Production: Now. Call Actel at 408.790.1010.

AT17C010 (Atmel) Configuration memory for FPGAs is electrically erasable, compatible with Atmel AT40K, AT6000, Xilinx XC3000, XC4000, XC5000, and Altera chips. Price: $17/1,000; Production: Now. Call Atmel at 408.441.0311.

HD74CDC2510A (Hitachi) Clock-distribution chip has phase-locked loop (PLL) for reliable distribution of clock signals at 100 MHz for high- speed DIMMs. Price: $4.50/2,000; Production: Now. Call Hitachi at 800.285.1601.