Embedded Processor Watch

Editor: Cary D. Snyder

Contributors to this issue: Steve Leibson, Peter N. Glaskowsky and Mark Long

In This Issue:

• SandCraft: Absolutely Fabless IP Vendor of MIPS Cores to Provide Chips in Addition to Bits
• Info on the Microprocessor Forum 2000 October 9-13, 2000
• Embedded Tidbits

SandCraft: Absolutely Fabless IP Vendor of MIPS Cores to Provide Chips in Addition to Bits

By Steve Leibson {8/28/00-03}

MIPS-compatible processor-core specialist SandCraft has done an about-face and chosen to go fabless. The company now plans to offer chips in addition to its existing line of IP cores. As recently as 1998, SandCraft publicly stated that it did not plan to offer chips, preferring to emulate ARM and sell IP licenses only. However, time apparently has changed those plans. SandCraft will now manufacture and distribute semiconductors under its own brand, contracting with wafer foundries, assembly houses, and test facilities for the actual manufacture of the chips. (The full version of this article is available online to Microprocessor Report subscribers at http://www.mpronline.com/mpr/h/2000/0828/143503.html).

Microprocessor Forum 2000 October 9-13, 2000 San Jose Fairmont Hotel San Jose, CA

"The microprocessor industryís most important week of the year"

Microprocessor Forum 2000 Program Highlights:

More than 20 first public disclosures of new chips and architectures from AMD, ARC Cores, ARM Ltd., Centaur Technology, Hewlett-Packard, Hitachi, IBM, Improv Systems, Intel, LSI Logic, Micron Technology, Motorola, picoTurbo, Samsung, SiByte, STMicroelectronics, Toshiba, Vulcan ASIC Ltd., Xstream Logic, and ZF Linux Devices

Six full-day seminars on todayís hottest microprocessor applications:

• information appliances -- by Microprocessor Report editor-in-chief Steve Leibson
• networks -- by industry experts Linley Gwennap and Bob Wheeler
• high-performance embedded -- by Microprocessor Report senior analyst Tom Halfhill
• multimedia -- by Microprocessor Report senior analyst Peter N. Glaskowsky
• DSP and digital audio -- by Jeff Bier and other members of Berkeley Design Technologyís team of DSP experts

And a unique opportunity to network non-stop with the leaders continuing the microprocessor revolution at the industryís premier annual gathering including a special welcome reception sponsored by ARM on Monday, October 9.

The Microprocessor Forum 2000 Expo: Literature and Demonstration Center will be sponsored by MIPS Technologies on Tuesday, October 10.

Nothing compares to Microprocessor Forum for the comprehensive view it provides of the industryís direction it provides and the quality of the presenters and attendees it attracts. And nowís the time to register -- while hotel rooms are available at a preferred rate. For more information on lodging and logistics, on-line registration, and detailed seminar and program information, please visit our web site at http://www.mdronline.com/mpf. Or call 1.800.527.0288. Weíre looking forward to seeing you in San Jose!

For a program agenda, including companies making first public disclosures of new chips, cores, and technologies at Microprocessor Forum, please click here: http://www.mdronline.com/mpf2000/agenda.html

Embedded Tidbits

Broadcom Buys Silicon Spice

Broadcom, a leading vendor in the communications-IC market, has announced plans to acquire the privately held fabless chip maker Silicon Spice in exchange for five million shares of Broadcom stock, currently worth about $1.2 billion. Silicon Spice is said to be developing a highly parallel and reconfigurable DSP-style communications processor (see MPR 7/13/98-msb, "Silicon Spice Cooking Up New Processor"). Vinod Dham, who joined Silicon Spice as chairman, president, and CEO after leaving AMD, is expected to remain with Broadcom after the acquisition. -- Peter Glaskowsky

OnCore Rolls Out OS Support for PowerPC 405 SoC Processor

OnCore Systems Corporation has announced support for the IBM line of PowerPC 405 embedded processors (see MPR 10/26/98-05, "PowerPC Adopts Code Compression"). IBM's 405 line of 32-bit RISC processors delivers up to 375 mips of processing power and is available in two models: the PowerPC 405CR, for integrated embedded applications, and the PowerPC 405G, for highly integrated network applications.

OnCore Systems offers developers a range of scalable embedded software, including a real-time microkernel that provides an environment in which applications can reside and run within protected MMU partitions. The microkernel also supports OnCore's Linux for Real-TimeT, a standard version of Linux that runs on top of the OnCore microkernel and coexists with real-time applications. For more information: www.OnCoreSystems.com. -- Mark Long

Silicon Motion Releases Digital Voice and Music Processors

Silicon Motion, Inc., has announced its next-generation "BlueBird" digital voice and digital music processors, which incorporate low-power DSP technology with 56KB of integrated SRAM. The BlueBird DSP performs a wide array of functions, ranging from digital noise cancellation for voice command processing and the decoding of digital music formats such as WMA, AAC, and MP3 to the baseband processing of wireless communication protocols like Bluetooth or 802.11.

The first BlueBird releases, the BlueBirdV and BlueBirdVL, will allow PDAs to act as low-power audio devices to record and play back email voice attachments. Moreover, the new BlueBird processors will directly interface with CD-ROM drives, so that notebook computers can play back MP3 or audio CDs during sleep mode as well as give MP3 devices the ability to record voice with background noise cancellation. The BlueBirdV processor is sampling now for $19 in 10,000-unit quantities. For more information: www.siliconmotion.com. -- Mark Long

NETsilicon and Adept Create LonTalk Protocol Network Solution

NETsilicon has announced a partnership with Adept Systems under which the two companies will collaborate on developing an integrated 32-bit SuperNode control module for LonTalk protocol networks. Based on NETsilicon's NET+Works architecture, SuperNode will consist of an ANSI/EIA 709.X software and hardware interface with media access control (MAC) and drivers for NETsilicon's NET+ARM processor. NETsilicon also has indicated that future versions of its NET+ARM chip will likely integrate the complete 709.1 interface on board. For more information: www.netsilicon.com. -- Mark Long

MIPS Core From Toshiba Enables Leica GPS Product

Toshiba America Electronic Components (TAEC) has developed a chip for Leica Geosystems that combines user logic and a TX39 CPU in an ASIC. Leica Geosystems will use the new chip as the heart of a new global positioning satellite (GPS) device called the System 500. For more information: www.toshiba.com/taec. -- Mark Long

Ericsson Licenses ARM Cores for Bluetooth and Fast Internet Access

Communications equipment supplier Ericsson has licensed the ARM7TDMI processor core for use in its communications products. The agreement allows Ericsson to reuse the ARM intellectual property among all its divisions. -- Mark Long

Sanyo Licenses ARM for Digital Consumer Applications

Sanyo has licensed the ARM7TDMI and ARM7TDMI-S microprocessor cores for use in its standard microcontroller and ASIC devices. Sanyo will use the ARM technology in conjunction with its on-chip flash memory technology to support devices such as PC peripherals, digital cameras, multimedia devices, portable phones, and mobile information terminals. Sanyo has also licensed the ARM Embedded Trace macrocell (ETM7) for advanced SoC debug. The ETM7 will provide Sanyo with a debug solution for the company's new flash microcontrollers as well as other ARM7TDMI core-based ASICs. For more information: www.arm.com. -- Mark Long

Avnet, Xilinx to Introduce PCI Development Kit for StrongARM

Avnet Design Services has joined with chip manufacturer Xilinx to announce the availability of the Intel StrongARM PCI Development Kit for the Intel StrongARM processor. The development kit, which contains the PCI module that interfaces the Intel StrongARM processor bus directly to a Xilinx PCI core, is available from Avnet Design Services for $8,995. For more information: www.ads.avnet.com/solutions/strongarm. -- Mark Long

Intel to Acquire Trillium

Intel Corporation has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire software provider Trillium Digital Systems, Inc., in a transaction valued at approximately $300 million in cash and unregistered Intel common stock. When the acquisition is complete, Trillium will become part of Intel's Network Processing Group. Trillium's software architecture will also become an integral part of the Intel Internet Exchange (IX) architecture. For more information: www.intel.com. -- Mark Long

PMC-Sierra Receives HSR Clearance for QED Merger

The Federal Trade Commission has granted early termination of the antitrust waiting period for PMC-Sierra's proposed merger with embedded microprocessor vendor Quantum Effect Devices (QED). The merger is now subject only to QED stockholder approval and the other closing conditions specified in the merger agreement. A special meeting of QED stockholders has been set for August 23, 2000. If QED stockholders approve the merger at that time, and the other closing conditions to the merger are satisfied, then the two companies expect to close the transaction shortly after the conclusion of the QED stockholder meeting. For more information: www.pmc-sierra.com. -- Mark Long