Product/Service

RISC-DSP Core

Source: Lexra, Inc.
The new LX5180 RISC-DSP core has been introduced. For applications such as MP3 and AC3, Web-enabled digital cameras...
The new LX5180 RISC-DSP core has been introduced. For applications such as MP3 and AC3, Web-enabled digital cameras, Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and PDAs, the device can operate on as little as 40 percent of the power an ARM9E demands for the same application. The device used 20 MIPS of its total 150 MIPS performance to perform the G.723.1 full duplex VoIP codec algorithm.

The device was designed specifically for applications performing signal processing and integer computation. With both RISC and DSP computing capability tightly integrated in the core the device can perform image processing and control functions far more efficiently than separate RISC and DSP cores integrated on the same silicon. The combined RISC-DSP LX5180 provides a footprint of 1.8 mm squared.

The device incorporates the Radiax DSP instruction extension to the baseline MIPS I instructions (except for un-aligned loads and stores, which are emulated in software). It also has a dual Multiply-Accumulate (MAC) arrangement to achieve a maximum of 360 million MACs per second at 180 MHz. The Radiax instructions, combined with the high performance MACs support all DSP constructs such as fractional arithmetic, rounding, saturation, and overflow protection, making application software easy to port.

The device features a low power CPU engine. The device takes advantage of its synthesizable nature by optimizing the CPU database for each specific process technology, as well as the target operating frequency. For large structured areas such as register file, the device minimizes the power consumption with custom designed techniques not available from synthesis tools. The register file uses clock gating to shut-off power when not used.

Lexra, Inc., 2055 Gateway Place, Suite 150, San Jose, CA 95110. Tel: 408-573-1890; Fax: 408-573-1898.