Motorola's Latest ColdFire® Processor Core For a Variety Of Complex Applications

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 11 -- Continuing to meet the challenge of increasingly complex 32-bit embedded applications that demand higher system performance, Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) disclosed the technical details of the enhanced Version 4 ColdFire® core at MicroDesign Resources' annual Microprocessor Forum. Called the V4e, the advanced core uses smart DigitalDNA[tm] technology to combine new specialized processing elements to greatly improve system performance yet remain very cost-effective.

The V4e ColdFire core meets the demands of today's increasingly complex applications head on. The horsepower of the V4 core can be combined with the new virtual memory management unit, a floating-point unit (FPU), an enhanced multiply-accumulate unit (EMAC), and dual-ported processor-local RAM with user-defined addressing capabilities. In addition, the V4e is designed to provide hardware support for on-chip multiprocessing for systems requiring intensive numeric processing capabilities beyond that provided by a single processor. Designs implemented in 0.18 micron technology are expected to provide 350 Dhrystone 2.1 MIPS of processing power per core when operating at 225 MHz, while migrating to 0.13 micron technology boosts the performance level to 333 MHz and over 500 Dhrystone 2.1 MIPS per core.

For designers using protected-mode real-time operating systems, the virtual memory management unit is engineered to provide process isolation for better reliability and security. Designers facing the task of creating more complex applications with greatly improved performance may benefit from the higher performance offered by the FPU. Applications such as digital audio, which require digital signal processor (DSP) functionality on a microprocessor with a single unified code stream, will find the enhanced performance and signal-processing capabilities of the EMAC to be very beneficial.

"The success of the 68K/ColdFire family is due in large part to the way we provide our customers with the functionality they require in a cost-effective manner," stated Mario Rivas, corporate vice-president and general manager, Standard Embedded Solutions Group of Motorola's Semiconductor Products Sector.

"By working closely with our customers and tool developers, we have been able to deliver the total package: performance, tools support, functionality, and configurability, all at the right price."

The V4e ColdFire core, in keeping with the ColdFire family tradition of providing customers with a cost-effective mix of performance, integration and tools for the embedded market, is 100 percent synthesizable. "In today's fast-paced market, it is extremely important to provide customers with solutions that enable faster development cycles," said Joe Circello, chief ColdFire architect, Motorola Semiconductor Products Sector. "By executing on the Motorola ColdFire development roadmap, we continue to meet and beat our customer expectations and are committed to provide them with world-class solutions in today's competitive market."

Motorola's ColdFire development roadmap is based on a strong foundation of reuse, giving designers the flexibility to create new classes of embedded solutions while leveraging previous investments. As with all ColdFire cores, the V4e core is 100 percent synthesizable and highly configurable. Using the ColdFire design methodology, cores are designed to be easily ported to new process technologies enabling new designs to reach their target markets faster. The V4e core design is complete and has been deployed to internal business groups, with the first products using the new core expected to be available in 2001.

About Motorola

As the world's No.1 producer of embedded processors, Motorola's Semiconductor Products Sector offers multiple DigitalDNA[tm] technologies which enable its customers to create "smart" products and new business opportunities in the networking and computing, wireless communications, transportation, and imaging and entertainment markets. Motorola's worldwide semiconductor sales were $7.4 billion (USD) in 1999. http://www.motorola.com/semiconductors/

Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) is a global leader in providing integrated communications solutions and embedded electronic solutions. Sales in 1999 were $33.1 billion. http://www.motorola.com

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SOURCE Motorola SPS

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