Embedded Processor Watch

Editor: Jim Turley

In This Issue:

• TeraGen Reveals 8-Bit Threaded Processor
• Toshiba, NEC Make 10-Year Investment in Rubies
• Industry Resources: DesignCon Returns to Santa Clara
• New Embedded IC Announcements

TeraGen Reveals 8-Bit Threaded Processor

Continuing the new trend toward turning the lowly 8-bit microprocessor on its ear, startup TeraGen (http://www.tera-gen.com) has revealed that it is developing an 8051-compatible chip that emulates not only the entire 8051 instruction set but the peripherals (a la Scenix and Triscend) as well. Furthermore, the TeraGen part will run at an unheard- of speed of 200 to 250 MHz, according to company founder (and ex-Intel and ex-Cirrus executive) George Alexy. TeraGen's unnamed microprocessor will begin sampling around the middle of 1999. Pricing has not been announced.

TeraGen takes RISC and VLIW concepts to extremes, at least for an 8-bit microprocessor. The chip internally consists of several "microthread engines." Each microthread engine executes a proprietary VLIW instruction set, using local on-chip ROM. The contents of the ROM determine the features and native instruction set of the microthread engine. An internal hardware scheduler manages coordination among the microthread engines.

Each microthread engine can be assigned by the scheduler to execute program code or to emulate the functions of a peripheral, such as a UART or a timer. The greater the number of microthread engines per chip, the greater the number of peripherals the chip can emulate simultaneously. One or more microthread engines are used for emulating the CPU. In the initial TeraGen parts, this CPU is an 8051, although that too is configurable. Because each microthread engine executes at 200 MHz or more, Alexy says each one can easily emulate the peripherals found on a typical 5-MHz microcontroller.

The advantage of this fast-but-dumb approach is configurability. Depending on the contents of the local ROM, TeraGen chips can be designed to emulate virtually any instruction-set architecture, regardless of register organization, word length, or RISC/CISC heritage. Given enough microthread engines, Alexy believes his chips could just as easily replace 16-bit and 32-bit processors, with or without peripherals. Chips could also be customized for a new instruction set or to fix annoying features of existing instruction sets. It's all a matter of changing the ROMs.

The other advantage is manufacturing cost. Initial samples of the TeraGen chip are only 60% of the size of an equivalent 8051, including peripherals, in the same 0.5-micron process. Furthermore, 90% of the die area is RAM, ROM, and data path, with very little complex control logic. Nor does the chip contain any microcode (in the usual sense). In all, TeraGen's design performance scales readily with process improvements and delivers good circuit density.

TeraGen's business model is to both license the technology to others and to market chips under its own label. The first licensee will be signed in 1Q99, and the second in 2Q99, according to the company. TeraGen's own chips are set to debut in the second half of 1999.

Toshiba, NEC Make 10-Year Investment in Rubies

Two longtime MIPS licensees, NEC and Toshiba, have both re-upped their licenses for another 10 years, according to MIPS Technologies. The two have also licensed MIPS's forthcoming "Ruby" processor core, the first companies to publicly do so, although details of Ruby itself are not expected to be announced until the end of 1999.

Ruby will become the new top of the line for MIPS as it rolls out its three new processor cores over the next few years (see Embedded Processor Watch #21). MIPS has said only that Ruby will be a 64-bit MIPS-V design with "high-performance graphics extensions," presumably a reference to MDMX. Coincident with the NEC/Toshiba announcement, MIPS revealed a new tidbit of information: Ruby is expected to deliver more than 1,000 Dhrystone MIPS and run at speeds in excess of 1 GHz, although no development schedule was given for reaching either of these milestones.

Industry Resources: DesignCon Returns to Santa Clara

DesignCon '99, the annual electronic-design conference hosted by the International Engineering Consortium, returns to the Santa Clara (Calif.) convention Center February 1-4. Actually a conglomeration of five different conferences, DesignCon covers on-chip systems, programmable logic, high-performance systems, digital communications, and intellectual property.

Registration fee for the full conference program is $645 and includes lunches, plenary sessions, receptions, and proceedings. Shorter programs are also available; admission to the exhibits is free. For more information, or to register, contact IEC (Chicago) at 312.559.4600, write to designcon@iec.org, or visit http://www.designcon.com.

New Embedded IC Announcements

PI74ALVTC16xxx (Pericom) Family of 16-bit buffers and transceivers runs at 1.8 V to 3.3 V while delivering high drive capability; with bus-hold feature. Price: $2.20/10,000; Production: Now; Call Pericom at 408.435.0800.

STi5505 (STMicroelectronics) Back-end decoder and host processor for DVD players includes ST20 CPU, MPEG-2 decoder, audio decoder, and PAL/NTSC encoder. Price: $30/1; Production: Now; Call ST at 781.861.2650.

CS8900A (Crystal Semiconductor) Embedded Ethernet controller handles industrial temperature ranges, with on-chip filters, RAM, ISA bus interface, and small package size. Price: $10.10/10,000; Production: Now; Call Crystal at 512.912.3351.

ML6427 (Micro Linear) Integrated driver chip filters and processes digital video signals after conversion to analog; handles composite, S- video, and RGB. Price: $2.70/1,000; Production: Now; Call Micro Linear at 408.433.5200.

CS422x (Crystal Semiconductor) Audio codec has 24-bit resolution and 105-dB dynamic range; with 110-dB SNR; with 3-V and 5-V interfaces. Price: $13.20/1,000; Production: Now; Call Crystal at 512.912.3351.

CS8420 (Crystal Semiconductor) Audio sample-rate converter for audio systems processes audio rates from 8 kHz to 96 kHz within a 1:3 to 3:1 ratio; in 28-lead SOIC. Price: $13.90/1,000; Samples: Now; Production: 1Q99; Call Crystal at 512.912.3351.

HV830LG (Supertex) High-voltage inverter chip for electroluminescent backlighting lamps provides 200-V p-p AC output from DC source between 2.4 V and 9.5 V. Price: $1.55/1,000; Production: Now; Call Supertex at 408.222.4850.<