Embedded Processor Watch

Editor: Tom Halfhill

In This Issue:

• Transmeta Breaks x86 Low-Power Barrier
• Industry Resources: Spring Forward With Embedded Systems
• Cahners MicroDesign Resources Seeks New Analysts

Transmeta Breaks x86 Low-Power Barrier

By Tom R. Halfhill

Like moths drawn to a flame, semiconductor startups seem to find the bright glow of the x86 market irresistible. Never mind that companies as resourceful as AMD, Centaur, Cyrix, IBM, National Semiconductor, and Rise have all charred their wings in the fires of competition with Intel. More than 120 million x86 chips were sold in the profitable PC market last year, casting off a warmth that lures newly hatched companies from the darkness.

The latest newcomer to emerge from its cocoon is Transmeta. After nearly five years of secrecy, the Santa Clara-based startup finally unveiled its pair of x86-compatible Crusoe processors at a widely covered media event near Silicon Valley last month. What's behind the hype? The Crusoe TM3120 and TM5400 are efficient VLIW processors that have special hardware and software for emulating other instruction sets, and the TM5400 can also dynamically scale its core voltage and frequency to conserve power. Revolutionary they're not, but Crusoe chips are definitely different.

Transmeta founder Dave Ditzel shuns the term "emulation," preferring to describe the process of converting x86 instructions into VLIW instructions as "code morphing" or "translation." Sometimes this process is known as dynamic binary recompilation. Transmeta's code-morphing software certainly is more advanced than old-fashioned emulators, but other modern emulators use similar techniques.

Transmeta's most important accomplishment is combining the concept of dynamic binary recompilation with the inherent efficiency and parallelism of VLIW. The result is a pair of x86-compatible processors unlike any others on the market. Beyond that, Crusoe chips appear to achieve three additional milestones:

-- Thanks to a unique hardware/software technology called LongRun, the TM5400 can dynamically vary its core voltage and clock frequency by monitoring the changing demands of application programs.

-- Crusoe chips appear to set a new standard for low power consumption among x86-compatible processors. Transmeta claims the typical power consumption of its fastest 700-MHz chip is only 1-2 W, which is significantly less than the 14-21 W consumed by a 650-MHz mobile Pentium III. These claims haven't been independently verified yet, but if they're remotely accurate, Transmeta can exploit a key vulnerability of the hand-me-down desktop chips that Intel and AMD sell into the mobile market.

-- Crusoe processors appear to sacrifice much less performance than other emulator-based solutions. Transmeta says a 700-MHz Crusoe is about 70% as fast as a 700-MHz Pentium III.

In short, Transmeta doesn't need revolutionary technology or media hype to succeed. Low power consumption and adequate performance should be enough to secure Transmeta a profitable future in the competitive x86 market -- if the fledgling company can deliver everything it promises. (The full version of this article -- with more than 7,000 words and seven figures -- is available online to Microprocessor Report subscribers: http://www.MDRonline.com/mpr/h/2000/0214/140701.html).

Spring Forward With Embedded Systems

The embedded-systems market has its own must-see show, the Embedded Systems Conference. The next ESC will be held at McCormick Place South in Chicago, February 28-March 2. The four-day conference includes a day of tutorials, a three-day technical conference with multiple tracks, and access to the exhibit floor. Noted astrophysicist and self-described high-tech heretic Clifford Stoll is back "by popular demand" as keynote speaker to extol his contrarian views.

Registration is $1,575 for a four-day pass; an exhibits-only pass is free. For more information, call Miller Freeman at 800.789.2223 or 972.906.6800, or visit http://www.embedded.com/spring.

Cahners MicroDesign Resources Seeks New Analysts

Cahners MicroDesign Resources, the publisher of this newsletter as well as Microprocessor Watch and Microprocessor Report, and the organizer of Microprocessor Forum and Embedded Processor Forum, is seeking new analysts to join its team. Positions focused on either embedded processors or PC processors are available. Our analysts are highly visible thought leaders in the microprocessor industry and frequently meet with top architects and executives. Candidates must have at least five years of relevant design, marketing, or analysis experience as well as excellent communication skills. For more information, contact Michael Slater (mailto:mslater@mdr.cahners.com).