Embedded Technology Journal Update

a techfocus media publication :: May 22, 2007 :: volume VII, no. 07

FROM THE EDITOR

This week, MIPS launched their fastest processor core ever – the new 74K. If you need serious processing power in your embedded system-on-chip application, check out this new synthesizable core that is capable of over 1GHz operation in 65nm technology. With this kind of performance, you might be able to drop the DSP from your BOM. Our latest feature has the details.

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Kevin Morris – Editor
Embedded Technology Journal

ANNOUNCEMENTS

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CURRENT FEATURE ARTICLES

Cranking up the MIPS
Introducing the 74K
William Shockley
Dick Selwood reviews "Broken Genius"
LeanPath Weighs In
Choosing Between Open-source and Commercial OS
It Isn’t Easy Being Green
Weee Review RoHS Basics
When Software Flies
Doing DO-178B
USB Goes Vertical
by Jim Turley, Embedded Technology Journal
Smaller is Bigger
ESC 2007 Tracks Technology

JOURNAL WEBCASTS

Learn to Design with Stratix III FPGAs’ Programmable Power Technology & Selectable Core Voltage sponsored by Altera

Using Processors in FPGAs? The industry's only soft IP ARM7 core for Flash FPGAs sponsored by Actel

Low Power FPGA design with Actel IGLOO, the 5µW FPGA for cool portables sponsored by Actel

ARM7, Analog,Flash and FPGA in a Single Chip Actel's ARM in Fusion sponsored by Actel

Introducing Actel Fusion – the world’s first Flash-based FPGA, with Memory and Analog front end sponsored by Actel

Introducing Spartan-3AN FPGAs – Non-Volatile Secure Platform for Highest System Integration sponsored by Xilinx

Embedded Design with LatticeMico32 Open, Free 32-bit Soft Processor sponsored by Lattice Semiconductor

Cranking up the MIPS
Introducing the 74K

Sometimes you just need to go fast.

In the arena of processor IP for system-on-chip embedded designs, there is always an artful dance done by designers trying to match the perfect processor to their problem. System engineers seek to find the precise balance of performance, price, and power for their particular application. Sometimes, a tiny, efficient core is called for when simple control is needed. Other times, integer computations are key, and floating point performance is sacrificed to save silicon area.

Sometimes, however, compromise is not the order of the day. For some applications, you need all the processor core moxie you can muster. For those special “don’t spare the megahertz” problems, MIPS has just introduced their fastest processor core ever – the new 74K, a synthesizable high-performance 32-bit general-purpose processor core capable of over 1GHz operation. The new 74K combines high-frequency operation with an asymmetric dual-issue architecture, DSP-specific instructions, and a number of optional and tunable features to provide a versatile processor for high-performance embedded SoC designs. [more]