Zilog offers eZ80 licenses allowing architectural modifications to CPU

Zilog offers eZ80 licenses allowing architectural modifications to CPU
By Semiconductor Business News
February 29, 2000 (5:53 p.m. EST)
URL: http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20000229S0066

CAMPBELL, Calif. -- Zilog Inc. today said a new licensing program for its eZ80 processor will allow licensees to make architectural modifications to the CPU.

"Zilog is creating a virtual design team to provide customers the most innovative, up-to-date architecture in the industry," said Daryl RuDusky, vice president of the company's Microprocessor Division. "No other semiconductor company delivers this design latitude due to their restrictive proprietary architectures."

The company said the eZ80 is an 8-bit microprocessor and designed to be an "Internet engine" rivaling the performance of today's 16-bit architectures. The Zilog processor is a single-cycle instruction fetch machine that is four times faster than the original Z80 when operating at the same clock speed. The eZ80 features linear addressing that can address up to 16 megabytes of memory.

Zilog said the processor is well suited for Internet appliances that require low system c osts and short development cycles. The eZ80 has also been designed to serve modem controller applications, high-performance electronic games, personal digital assistants (PDAs), industrial control, and Web management.

The licensing program is aimed at four industry segments: commercial OEMs, design houses, "incubators" or startups, and universities.