Lucent rolls out its first StarCore-based DSP, promises to double Internet chip capacity

Lucent rolls out its first StarCore-based DSP, promises to double Internet chip capacity
By Semiconductor Business News
June 12, 2000 (9:02 a.m. EST)
URL: http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20000612S0002

ALLENTOWN, Pa -- Lucent Technologies Inc. today claimed it is now offering the highest performing digital signal processor (DSP) for system-on-chip solutions in wireless networking and Internet applications. The ProStar series--a result of collaboration between Lucent and Motorola Inc. in the StarCore alliance -- will enable the doubling of Internet chip capacity, according to Lucent Microelectronics.

Lucent also said the new DSP product family will offer more than four times today's typical voice and data channels per chip for wireless switches, voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) gateways, and remote access servers.

"Using a common platform, our customers can build a multitude of different DSP-based products spanning the whole communications chain from wireless and Internet infrastructure to access terminals and high capacity network transport systems," said Sohail Khan, president of the Integrated Circuits Division of Lucent's Microelect ronics Group.

The StarPro 2000 is the first chip in the StarPro DSP family, and the first Lucent chip based on the StarCore SC140 DSP architecture announced last year by the company's alliance with Motorola (see April 19, 1999, story). Motorola and Lucent are jointly developing StarCore DSP platforms in Atlanta to address next-generation applications.

Lucent said the new chip family will offer more than five times the channels per chip of the nearest competing DSP chip for wireless base stations. This capability will dramaticallylower system and component costs, said the company. Lucent said the chip solutions will cut the development time by 50% or more in the design of new wireless base stations, telephone central office switching systems, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) modems, and VoIP gateways.

The StarPro series is based on a modular DSP platform technology from Lucent. It features a high-speed semiconductor bus technology, cal led Daytona, which was developed by Lucent's Bell Labs. According to Lucent, the platform allows equipment manufacturers to re-use DSP software and hardware to deliver product derivatives and enhancements much faster.

The StarPro 2000 chip is priced at $100 in quantities of 100,000.