Embedded Processor Watch

Editor: Jim Turley

In This Issue:

• ARM7 Core Now In Synthesized Form
• NEC's V832 Debuts for Consumer Items
• Industry Resources: Hand, Set, Match
• Industry Resources: Remember Your Anatomy Lessons?
• New Embedded ICs

The ever-popular ARM7 microprocessor CPU core has recently undergone a transformation from hard macro to synthesizable design. The new design, dubbed ARM7TDMI-S, retains all the features of the previous ARM7TDMI CPU, but is delivered to designers in a format suitable for design synthesis. Previously, ARM delivered its ubiquitous cores only as process-specific hard macros that had been hand-tweaked for each individual semiconductor foundry process.

The tradeoffs for design portability are size and speed. The synthesized version of the core can theoretically be made as small as a hand-packed ARM7TDMI, or as fast, but not both. Generally, a synthesized ARM7TDMI-S will be about 2-3 times the size, but half the speed, of the fixed version. Silicon area will generally get even bigger if the design is optimized for speed. Conversely, it will get slower if it is optimized for size.

On the plus side, this new "a la carte" core allows designers to pick and choose from the core options. For example, the hardware multiplier (the "M" in ARM7TDMI) can be removed. Likewise, the internal debug logic ("D"), ICE interface ("I"), and Thumb code-compression logic ("T") can all be eliminated if they're not needed.

The "-S" version has been licensed to three companies so far: National Semiconductor, VLSI Technology, and IBM (see Embedded Processor Watch #4). ARM's licensing agreement treats the ARM7TDMI-S as one design: customers don't pay a different rate depending on what options are included in the final design.

The move to synthesizable logic is a good one for ARM, a hugely successful example of an IP (intellectual property) company in the microprocessor industry. Apart from relieving ARM's engineers from the tedious chore of customizing every CPU for every licensee, it also frees those licensees to offer slightly specialized versions of the CPU to their customers. Although the company remains mum, we expect future ARM cores--such as ARM9 and the upcoming ARM10--will also be offered in synthesizable form.

NEC's V832 Debuts for Consumer Items

Adding to its line of stealth microprocessors, NEC has quietly announced sampling of the V832, the newest member of its V830 family of 32-bit microprocessors (http://www.MDRonline.com/q/mpr/articles/nec_v830/nec_v830.html). The V832 has the fastest clock rate of any family member and is the first with an integrated synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) controller. Like previous V830 chips, the V832 is destined for midrange consumer items such as navigation systems and printers.

In addition to its SDRAM controller, the V832 has a four-channel DMA controller, hardware MAC (multiply-accumulate), pulse-generation unit, serial interfaces, and an interrupt controller. The 0.25-micron part consumes 380 mW (typical), according to the company.

At $18.50 in 10,000-piece quantities, the V832 is about the same price as Matsushita's new AM33 (MN10300) processor, but has a faster clock rate, significant hardware assist for media processing, and somewhat better tool support. The V832 will doubtless appear in NEC-branded consumer items before the middle of next year.

Industry Resources: Hand, Set, Match

Matching technology companies, developers, and buyers: that's the premise of Handset Technology '98, a four-day conference coming to the Westin Hotel in Santa Clara (Calif.). Starting with a preconference workshop on October 6, the single-track conference will include talks on developing handsets, chip designs, power sources and batteries, voice and data, and potential health and safety issues.

Registration for the three-day conference run $1,495; the preconference workshop costs another $400. To register, or for more information, contact IBC (Southborough, Mass.) at 508.481.6400 or visit http://www.ibcusa.com/conf/handset/.

Industry Resources: Remember Your Anatomy Lessons?

Bruce Shriver and Bennett Smith do. They've authored The Anatomy of a High-Performance Microprocessor: A Systems Perspective. Published by the IEEE Computer Society, the 584-page book (which comes with a CD-ROM) examines microarchitectural details in designing a high-performance CPU, including "platform and system issues." AMD's K6-3D acts as cadaver.

The book (ISBN 0-8186-8400-3) and access to its associated Web site (http://www.computer.org/books/anatomy) cost $44 for IEEE members; $49 for nonmembers. More information can be found at www.computer.org/cspress/CATALOG/anatomy.htm.

New Embedded ICs

STV0300 (STM) Single-chip processor for 8192-complex-point fast-Fourier transforms is useful for terrestrial digital-video broadcasting; in 100- pin PGA. Price: $500/500; Production: Now; Call ST at 781.259.0300.

PIC16C505 (Microchip) One-time programmable microcontroller has 8-bit core, 72 bytes of RAM, 20-MHz clock rate, and 12 I/O pins; in 14-pin package. Price: $0.49/100,000; Production: Now; Call Microchip at 602.786.7668.

PIC17C766 (Microchip) Microcontroller has 32K of program memory, 902 bytes of RAM, and 10-bit analog/digital converter; in 80- and 84-pin packages. Price: $10.52/10,000; Production: Now; Call Microchip at 602.786.7668.

PIC17C752 (Microchip) Microcontroller has 16K of program memory, 678 bytes of RAM, and 10-bit analog/digital converter; in 64- and 68-pin packages. Price: $7.89/10,000; Production: Now; Call Microchip at 602.786.7668.

CSP1152A (Lucent) Analog-to-digital converter for wireless base stations incorporates dither function, improving performance on weak incoming signals. Price: $35/50,000; Samples: Now; Production: 4Q98; Call Lucent at 800.372.2447.

WildWire (Lucent) Three-chip modem set supports both 56-Kbps V.90 and ADSL connections; automatically detects presence of central office DSL support. Price: $69/10,000; Samples: Now; Production: 3Q98; Call Lucent at 800.372.2447.