A pair of 32-bit ARM processor cores from NEC Electronics Corp. can be used with the company's system-on-a-chip (SoC) design methodology to develop high-speed solutions for a range of applications. The 700-MHz (931 MHz under nominal process conditions) dual-core ARM11 is the highest-performing ARM processor core on the market, according to NEC. The ARM11 MPCore can execute more than 2200 Drystone MIPS under nominal conditions. The ARM926EJ-S processor core, implemented in NEC Electronics’ 130-nm process, clocks in at 400 MHz (532 MHz under nominal process conditions).
Based on the ARM11 microarchitecture and implemented in NEC Electronics' 90-nm process technology, the ARM11 MPCore is well-suited to high-speed consumer, enterprise, and networking applications that are typically served by more expensive processors. The multiprocessing core delivers higher performance at a lower frequency than comparable single-process solutions, which can significantly cut system costs.
The DSP-enhanced ARM926EJ-S RISC processor is well-suited to applications requiring a mix of DSP and microcontroller functionality in the digital consumer, imaging, storage, automotive, and industrial markets. In addition to signal-processing extensions to enhance 16-bit fixed-point performance using a single-cycle 32-by-16 multiply-accumulate unit, the ARM926EJ-S incorporates ARM’s Jazelle technology, which enables direct execution of Java byte codes in hardware and a 16-bit ARM Thumb instruction set that shrinks code size and, consequently, reduces system cost.
PRICING AND AVAILABILITY
The ARM926EJ-S is currently available in NEC's CB-130M IP library. The ARM11 MPCore is scheduled to be available for SoC integration before the end of 2007. Both are available for either cell-based IC or customer-owned tooling applications. Contact the company for pricing information.
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