1600 MIPS DSP
The new TMS320C6x DSP generation from TI opens up virtually unlimited possibilities for system designers. Just as the microprocessor revolution introduced mainframe computing power in the size of a notebook, ’C6x technology will enable whole new classes of previously unreachable real-time products in the personal and data communications world.
For example, the ’C6x stands to be a key solution for unclogging the bandwidth-starved Internet. What took 10 minutes to download from the Internet, will now take less than five seconds with ’C6x-enabled throughput - an increase of 120 times the speed of today’s fastest modems. "This DSP solution will change the way we live," said Mike Hames, TI Semiconductor Group vice president and worldwide DSP manager. "We know this performance will eliminate ‘busy signals’ for the web user, but it’s also not farfetched to see this revolution translate to radical changes like wireless basestations the size of a calculator, a total redefinition of medical diagnostics, and cars that can offer the ultimate in cruise control with radar-based collision avoidance and global positioning systems (GPS) to map the route to your destination."
The TMS320C6x DSP generation offers 10 times the MIPS performance of any DSP in history and debuts with a world-class C compiler that cuts software development time in half. The C compiler, in addition to the complete development toolset available now, will allow developers to bring highly-differentiated products to market quickly. This major advance represents a whole new level of productivity and efficiency for systems designers, and reduced system cost for multi-channel and multi-function voice and data communications applications.
For less than US $100 (25K units), or US $0.06-per-MIPS, the ’C6x processing abilities, exceptional ease-of-use, and affordable pricing make it the optimum solution for the communication industry’s hottest applications, including pooled modems, wireless base stations, remote access servers (RAS), digital subscriber loop (xDSL) systems, cable modems, and voice mail systems. A single ’C6x generation DSP will replace multiple current-generation DSPs, including today’s highest performance DSP offerings throughout the industry. In terms of traditional DSP benchmarks, the ’C6201 can execute 400 million multiply-accumulates (MACs) per second, and can perform a 1,024-point complex Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) in 70 microseconds.
New VLIW architecture
The ’C6x is the first DSP in the industry to adopt VelociTI(TM), an advanced Very-Long-Instruction-Word (VLIW) architec- ture. TI’s worldwide position as the leader in DSP firmly establishes advanced VLIW as the architecture-of-choice for achieving very high performance at low cost. "Our primary goal was to make this DSP quick and easy to program," said Ray Simar, ’C6x chief architect and program manager. "We expect to put the ’C6x in the hands of a very broad pool of application programmers, most of whom will need only a very basic understanding of the chip’s architecture."
Lowest price per function and price per channel of any DSP
The ’C6x generation gives developers the lowest price per function and price per channel of any DSP today. The ’C6x generation’s first available product, the fixed-point TMS320C6201 DSP, will be priced at US $96 in quantities of 25,000 units. The 200 MHz, five-level metal, 0.25-micron ’C6201 is available for sampling immediately in an advanced-release version. A production release version will be available from TI and authorized distributors and is scheduled to sample in the second quarter of 1997, followed by volume production scheduled for the third quarter of 1997.
Cuts software development time in half
To drive fast time-to-market for ’C6x-based product designs by cutting software development time in half, the new DSP generation is immediately supported by a complete set of optimized development tools for both PC and Sun host platforms. The tools include a ’C6x C compiler that is three times more efficient than any DSP compiler on the market today, the world’s first Assembly Optimizer for simplified assembly-language programming and scheduling, and a Windows(TM)-based debugger interface for improved visibility into source code execution characteristics.
The ’C6x code generation tool set, including the C compiler, Assembly Optimizer, and assembler/linker, is available now from TI and authorized distributors and is priced at $2,495 for the PC and $3,995 for the Sun workstation version. The ’C6x simulator is also available now for US $495 (PC) or $995 (SPARC). A hardware emulation board, compatible with TI’s XDS510 JTAG emulator interface is scheduled to be available in March 1997. TI DSP third parties supporting ’C6x with tools include Ariel Corporation, CHEOPS Bildverarbeitungs GmbH & Co KG, D2 Technolo-gies, DSP Research, Inc., DSP Software Engineering, Inc., Eonic Systems, GO DSP Corporation, HotHaus Technologies, Innovative Integration, Loughborough Sound Images (LSI), Pentek, Signals & Software Ltd., ViaDSP, Inc., and White Mountain DSP. See the third-party section in this issue for more information.
Future ’C6x generation members, both fixed and floating point, will include devices fabricated with TI’s new 0.18-micron, five-level-metal process, and will operate at speeds beyond 250 MHz. These DSPs will be disclosed throughout 1997 and beyond.
