Embedded Processor Watch

Senior Editor: Tom Halfhill
Contributor to this issue: Keith Diefendorff, Editor in Chief

In This Issue:

• TI Cores Accelerate DSP Arms Race
• Intel Outguns AMD for X-Box
• Tidbits: Cirrus Logic Adds Security to Digital-Music Chips
• Tidbits: ARC Cores Releases New Configurable Core
• Tidbits: NEC Licenses Tensilica Core
• Industry Resources: Embedded Processor Forum
• Cahners MicroDesign Resources Seeks New Analysts

TI Cores Accelerate DSP Arms Race

By Tom R. Halfhill

Everything is bigger in Texas, including the DSPs. The Texas Instruments TMS320C62x-series DSP core, already the T. Rex of digital-signal processing, is about to be surpassed by an even more powerful beast. TI says its new TMS320C64x core offers about 10 times the performance of the existing core -- plus greater code density and full compatibility with 'C62x software.

Architectural improvements in the 'C64x core include more-powerful function units, twice as many registers, additional read/write ports to the register files, double the data bandwidth, provisions for larger on-chip caches, more support for packed-data processing (including single-instruction multiple-data [SIMD] arithmetic), and a new ability to arrange instructions across multiple VLIW bundles for parallel execution.

TI isn't ignoring the opposite end of the market either. A second new core, the 'C55x, supplements the popular 'C54x. It's a much more powerful device, with two ALUs, dual MAC units, three address-generation units, four 40-bit accumulators, four new 16-bit data registers, a primary instruction cache (size dependent on implementation), a 128-entry instruction buffer, a third 16-bit data-input bus, a wider program bus (32 bits instead of 16 bits), a wider address bus (24 bits instead of 16 bits), a power-management unit, and a real-time debug unit.

While the 'C64x is suitable for wireless base stations and other communications-infrastructure applications, the 'C55x is TI's first DSP core to meet the performance and power-consumption requirements of third-generation (3G) cellular phones.

TI plans to sample the first 'C64x-based DSPs this summer at 600-800MHz. Production is scheduled to begin early in 2001, and TI says it will quickly ramp clock speeds to the 1.1GHz range. The first 'C55x DSPs will sample this spring. They are scheduled to enter production in 2H00 at 200MHz and ramp to 400MHz in 1H01. (The full version of this article is available online to Microprocessor Report subscribers at http://www.MDRonline.com/mpr/h/2000/0306/141001.html).

Intel Outguns AMD for X-Box

By Keith Diefendorff

At the Game Developers Conference in San Jose, Bill Gates shot holes in the hopes of AMD and GigaPixel when he announced that Microsoft had selected a 600MHz Pentium III (Coppermine), accompanied by a custom 200-million-polygon-per-second 3D-graphics engine from NVidia, to power its long-rumored X-Box game console. AMD was hoping for a spot in the box for Athlon, which would have rescued 3DNow from its inevitable slow death. Instead, the design win for Intel drives another nail in 3DNow's coffin. With the Pentium III-based X-Box looming, game developers are sure to focus on SSE even more tightly than before, making it imperative that AMD upgrade Athlon to SSE so it can at least play in game market on PCs. (The full version of this article is available online to Microprocessor Report subscribers at http://www.mdronline.com/mpr/h/2000/0313/141106.html).

Tidbits: Cirrus Logic Adds Security to Digital-Music Chips

Cirrus Logic has announced two single-chip solutions that implement copyright-protection security for portable digital-music players. Both solutions build on the company's existing EP7209 Maverick chip (see Embedded Processor Watch #74, http://www.MDRonline.com/epw/issues/epw_74.html). One solution is a software upgrade for the EP7209; the other is the EP7307, a new variant of the EP7209 that has hard-wired copyright security. The security software is from InterTrust Technologies and complies with Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI) specifications for audio files recorded in MP3 and Windows Media Audio formats. For more information: http://www.cirrus.com/. --T.R.H.

Tidbits: ARC Cores Releases New Configurable Core

ARC Cores has announced the availability of its latest configurable embedded-processor core, the ARC 3 (see Embedded Processor Watch #52, http://www.MDRonline.com/epw/issues/epw_52.html). The new 32-bit core has optional DSP extensions, including a block that executes 16- and 24-bit multiply-accumulate (MAC) instructions, saturating add/subtract functions, support for X/Y program/data memories, and new instruction-cache options. A software library written in optimized assembly language allows programmers to call DSP functions from C or C++. For more information: http://www.arccores.com/. --T.R.H.

Tidbits: NEC Licenses Tensilica Core

NEC has licensed Tensilica's XTensa, a configurable processor core for embedded applications (see Embedded Processor Watch #35, http://www.MDRonline.com/epw/issues/epw_35.html). NEC plans to use the core in system-on-a-chip devices targeted at advanced communications applications. For more information: http://www.tensilica.com/. --T.R.H.

Industry Resources: Embedded Processor Forum

Registration is now open for the Embedded Processor Forum, which will be held June 12-16 at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose. Vendors will introduce more than 20 new embedded processors and analysts will present six full-day technical seminars. Embedded Processor Forum will give you the in-depth technical information you need to make winning embedded-design decisions. Due to high demand, we expect registration to fill up quickly. To get more detailed information about the forum and registration, visit the Cahners MicroDesign Resources web site at http://www.MDRonline.com/EPF or call 800.527.0288 or 408.328.3900.

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 Keith Diefendorff (mailto:kdiefendorff@mdr.cahners.com).