Freescale Introduces QUICC Engine(TM) Technology for the Networked Digital Home; Cost-Effective PowerQUICC Family Brings High-Performance Packet Processing and Flexible Connectivity to Consumer/SOHO Market.

SHANGHAI, China -- Freescale Semiconductor (NYSE:FSL)(NYSE:FSL.B) has introduced the first PowerQUICC(TM) processor family with QUICC Engine(TM) technology designed for the consumer and small-office/home-office networking equipment market. The MPC8323E PowerQUICC II Pro processors, containing a PowerPC(R) core, deliver exceptional packet processing, voice over IP (VoIP) and encryption performance. These advanced processing capabilities will help consumers and small businesses take advantage of next-generation, high-speed broadband and wireless services.

The MPC8323E processor family is designed to provide exceptional performance and flexible connectivity options for residential and SOHO gateways, wireless access points, virtual private network (VPN) and firewall routers, and IP services equipment, such as VoIP systems and IPTV set-top boxes. USB 2.0 hubs for printers, network attached storage and media server applications, as well as wireless connectivity through WLAN 802.11x and WiMAX, can be enabled through the MPC8323E's on-chip PCI interface. MPC8323E processors also can be used in other applications beyond the digital home, such as DSLAM line cards, industrial control, and test and measurement equipment.

"MPC8323E processors provide a powerful, cost-effective solution for residential and small-office networking equipment that requires high-speed packet processing and flexible interface options," said Lynelle McKay, vice president and general manager of Freescale's Digital Systems Division. "QUICC Engine technology brings exceptional performance and versatility to the digital home and SOHO market, enabling developers to design innovative systems optimized for IP services and triple play."

Inside MPC8323E QUICC Engine Technology

The MPC8323E family features a streamlined version of QUICC Engine technology containing a single 32-bit RISC engine optimized for residential and SOHO networking applications. The single-core RISC engine works in concert with five universal communications controllers (UCCs). Each UCC can be configured to handle a variety of communications protocols, including 10/100 Ethernet, asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) at up to OC-3 speeds, serial and multi-PHY ATM, time division multiplexing (TDM), high-level data link control (HDLC), dual universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (DUART) and binary synchronous communications protocol (BISYNC).

Digital home systems equipped with QUICC Engine technology enable service providers to add new capabilities, such as security upgrades and improved quality of service, through remotely managed upgrades. Freescale's Open QUICC Engine developer program enables third parties and customers to develop custom microcode tuned for specific applications.

"Future customer premises equipment (CPE) market growth will be driven by next-generation equipment upgrades, and DSL gateways will impact this growth the most," said Joyce Putscher, principal analyst at In-Stat. "In addition, many service providers are not settled on the type of in-home video distribution mediums they will deploy (coax, HPNA, powerline, wireless), so a flexible communications processing platform will be key."

Enhanced PowerPC Core

Based on the proven PowerQUICC system-on-chip (SoC) architecture, MPC8323E processors simultaneously can handle control plane and dataplane processing tasks, respectively, through the PowerPC core and QUICC Engine technology. The MPC8323E family features an enhanced e300c2 PowerPC core that operates at up to 333MHz and includes dual integer units.

The enhanced e300c2 core is designed to deliver three times the multiplication performance of the original e300 core. This processing efficiency, enabled by dual multipliers, supports twice the number of channels of low-bit-rate voice codecs, thus consuming fewer CPU cycles. As a result, the MPC8323E family makes it easy to develop VoIP gateways without requiring the overhead of a separate DSP.

The PowerPC core complex includes 16 KB of L1 instruction and data caches. It is supported by a system interface unit containing a 32-bit DDR1/2 memory controller, a 32-bit PCI controller and a 16-bit local bus.

With its dual control-plane/data-plane cores and broad multi-protocol support, the MPC8323E family provides a versatile platform for designing networking products with modular WAN front-ends (supporting ADSL, VDSL, WiMAX and PON) and modular LAN connectivity (supporting Ethernet switching and IEEE(R) 802.11x).

Extensive Ecosystem Support

The MPC8323E family is supported by CodeWarrior(R) development tools from Freescale and by a comprehensive ecosystem of tools, operating systems, middleware and applications from third-party vendors working through Freescale's Design Alliance Program. Members of Freescale's Open QUICC Engine developer program also can assist with customized microcode solutions for unique applications.

Cost-effective development systems and reference platforms for specific residential/SOHO networking applications are planned to be available during the summer of 2006 from Freescale and its electronics manufacturing services partners. These enablement solutions are expected to help equipment makers reduce development costs and speed time-to-market.

Pricing and Availability

MPC8323E family processors are manufactured on Freescale's 90nm process technology and offered in 516-pin PBGA packages. Initial MPC8323E family members include the MPC8323E, MPC8323, MPC8321E and MPC8321. PowerQUICC device names ending in E designate on-chip encryption acceleration. MPC8323/E devices support both Ethernet and the ATM protocol (through a UTOPIA interface), and the MPC8321/E devices are optimized for IP/Ethernet packet processing. The MPC8323E family is designed to provide a next-generation migration path for system designs based on current PowerQUICC I processors and selected PowerQUICC II processors.

Samples of MPC8323E family devices are planned to be available in early Q3 2006. Suggested 2007 resale pricing for the 266MHz MPC8321 processor through distributors starts at $12.95 (USD) in 50K unit quantities.

About Freescale Semiconductor

Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. (NYSE:FSL)(NYSE:FSL.B) is a global leader in the design and manufacture of embedded semiconductors for the automotive, consumer, industrial, networking and wireless markets. Freescale became a publicly traded company in July 2004 after more than 50 years as part of Motorola, Inc. The company is based in Austin, Texas, and has design, research and development, manufacturing or sales operations in more than 30 countries. Freescale, a member of the S&P 500(R), is one of the world's largest semiconductor companies with 2005 sales of $5.8 billion (USD). www.freescale.com

Freescale(TM) and the Freescale logo are trademarks of Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. The "PowerPC" name is a trademark of IBM Corp. and used under license. (C) Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. 2006.