Embedded Processor Watch

Editor: Tom Halfhill

In This Issue:

• Cirrus Logic Makes Music With ARM
• Mips Technologies Sues Lexra Over Patents
• Intel Bids $1.6 Billion for DSP Communications
• New Analysts Join Cahners MicroDesign Resources
• Industry Resources: Help Clueless Coworkers

Cirrus Logic Makes Music With ARM

MP3 is music to Cirrus Logic's ears -- and a potentially lucrative business opportunity. The company's new EP7212 Maverick chip is an application-specific standard product (ASSP) for mobile information appliances that need digital-audio capabilities. Cirrus (http://www.cirrus.com/) is aiming Maverick at next-generation products that can download and play audio files from the Internet, in addition to performing the more common tasks expected of handheld computers.

Essentially, Maverick combines the functions of two other ASSPs introduced by Cirrus earlier this year: the EP7209, a processor for portable digital-audio players, and the EP7211, a processor for mobile information appliances. All three chips are based on a 74-MHz ARM720T core. By idling the core between blocks of MP3 data, a system can reduce the average power consumption to 90 mW during playback.

In contrast to the fixed-function solutions in some first-generation Internet-audio players, which are limited to playing MP3-format files, an ASSP like Maverick can adapt to evolving audio standards while providing higher integration than stand-alone CPUs.--T.R.H. (The full version of this article appeared in the November 15 issue of Microprocessor Report.)

Mips Technologies Sues Lexra Over Patents

Although Mips Technologies and Lexra settled a lawsuit last year over trademark issues and product claims, it seems their legal battles aren't over. In late October, Mips filed another lawsuit against Lexra, this time alleging patent infringement. Mips accuses Lexra of infringing on at least two and possibly as many as eleven Mips patents in the design of Lexra's synthesizable processor cores, which are mostly compatible with the MIPS architecture but less expensive to license. Although the two companies have been in negotiations over a MIPS license, their talks recently stalled over money and other issues.--T.R.H. (The full version of this article appeared in the November 15 issue of Microprocessor Report.)

Intel Bids $1.6 Billion for DSP Communications

Intel is acquiring DSP Communications (DSPC), a supplier of chip sets and software to cell-phone manufacturers, as the latest in a series of acquisitions in the communications and networking industries. DSPC (http://www.dspc.com/) is a fabless company that integrates DSPs and cores from TI, NEC, DSP Group, and Arm into chip sets and ASICs. The Arm cores function as microcontrollers; the DSPs handle the real work. DSPC sells the chip sets, ASICs, and related software to cell-phone manufacturers. Intel could have gained similar technology by acquiring a company such as Philips or TI, but they are much larger, more diversified conglomerates that would have cost far more money and come with too much baggage.--T.R.H. (The full version of this article appeared in the November 15 issue of Microprocessor Report.)

New Analysts Join Cahners MicroDesign Resources

We are pleased to announce that Steve Leibson has joined the MicroDesign Resources analyst staff to lead our growing embedded efforts. Steve has an enviable reputation in the high-tech industry as an award-winning journalist and innovator of consumer, industrial, and medical embedded-system products. He has held leadership positions at EDN magazine, Hewlett-Packard, and Cadnetix, and we look forward to his contributions to the MDR team. Steve is a graduate of Case Western Reserve University, where he studied lasers, communications, and product development. He can be reached at mailto:sleibson@mdr.cahners.com.

We are also pleased to welcome Kevin Krewell to our analyst team. Kevin will be focusing his attention on PC processors and you'll be reading many stories under his byline in the near future. Kevin's microprocessor experience spans more than 20 years, including positions with industry leaders AMD, Hazeltine, and Norden Systems Division of United Technologies. His experience in the defense, computer graphics, and semiconductor industries will bring new insights for our readers. Kevin holds a BSEE from Manhattan College and an MBA from Adelphi University. His email address is mailto:kkrewell@mdr.cahners.com.

Industry Resources: Help Clueless Coworkers

Do you have a coworker whose eyes glaze over when you talk about integrated circuit technology? The people at Integrated Circuit Engineering (ICE) can help. They offer a one-day seminar called Basic Integrated Circuit Technology and a more advanced two-and-a-half-day seminar on integrated circuit fabrication. The seminars are offered on a regular basis in locations such as Scottsdale, Ariz.; Sunnyvale, Calif.; and Burlington, Mass.

The basic seminar costs $595 per person; the longer seminar costs $950. For more information, contact ICE (Scottsdale, Ariz.) at 480.515.9780 or on the Web at http://www.ice-corp.com/.