Green Hills Is First Third Party To Support Motorola's StarCore- Based MSC8101 With Integrated Development Environment And Optimizing Compiler.

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SANTA BARBARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 8, 2001

Compiler Fastest In Industry On StarCore SC140 EFR Benchmarks

Green Hills Software Inc. today announced the availability of its MULTI(R) 2000 Integrated Development Environment for Motorola's MSC8101 digital signal processor, the industry's first network-ready DSP based on the StarCore(TM) SC140 core.

The new StarCore IDE features a groundbreaking C and C++ optimizing compiler and provides a DSP-optimized superset of MULTI's powerful editing, debugging, profiling, and project management capabilities. Green Hills and Motorola (NYSE:MOT) are also working together on supporting Motorola's recently announced multi-core StarCore device the MSC8102.

The MSC8101 is a high-performance, network-ready DSP. Combining a StarCore SC140 core with Motorola's 32-bit RISC Communications Processor Module (CPM), the MSC8101 targets a broad range of communications applications requiring high performance, low power, large amounts of on-chip memory, and integrated networking capability. Among these are third-generation wireless infrastructure systems, IP telephony systems, multi-channel modem banks, and multi-channel xDSL systems.

The MULTI 2000 IDE automates all aspects of software development for the MSC8101. Optimized for MSC8101's StarCore SC140 core architecture, the MULTI IDE features a window-oriented editor, RTOS-aware source-level debugger, DSP Data Visualization, graphical program builder, run-time error checker, version control system, and performance profiler. MULTI also features an instruction set simulator that allows programmers to develop and test MSC8101 code on a PC or workstation without the need for the target hardware.

Using compiler technology previously applied to super-computing architectures, the optimizing C and C++ compiler beats all other compilers on StarCore Enhanced Full Rate (EFR) speed benchmarks specified by the StarCore Joint Design Center.

"Green Hills is best known as a supplier of optimizing compilers for high-performance RISC and CISC CPUs," said John Carbone, vice president of marketing at Green Hills Software. "However, we cut our teeth developing vectorizing compilers for large machines and currently offer optimizing compilers for a number of CPUs with integrated DSP capability. Our expertise with RISC/CISC CPUs and DSPs makes us uniquely positioned to deliver the best compilers and an easy-to-use IDE that exploits the parallel processing capabilities of the MSC8101."

"We are proud to have Green Hills Software on board with the MSC8101," added Graham Haddock, vice president and general manager for Motorola's Wireless Infrastructure Systems Division. "Green Hills' user-friendly MULTI IDE and state-of-the-art optimizing compiler make it easy for communications equipment OEMs to take full advantage of MSC8101's high-performance parallel processing and communications facilities."

The MSC8101 is based on a 300-MHz version of the StarCore SC140 core. Featuring a peak performance of 300 MIPS and 1200 million multiply-accumulate operations per second (MMACs), the MSC8101 consumes 0.5 Watts of power . The MSC8101 achieves this high performance level by employing four single-cycle MAC units, four arithmetic logic units (ALUs), and four bit field units (BFUs), all operating in parallel. To maximize code density and performance while minimizing power consumption, the SC140 combines 16-bit instructions with a variable-length execution set (VLES) that expands or shrinks based on the specific functions and performance level required of the hardware and tools.

The MSC8101 features an integrated 32-bit, 150-MHz RISC Communication Processor Module (CPM), which boosts networking performance by enabling the device to process protocols like Fast Ethernet, ATM, and E1/T1 in parallel with SC140 program execution. Other key features include 512 kbytes of on-chip SRAM, a 100-MHz 32/64-bit PowerPC bus interface, a 300-MHz Enhanced Filter Coprocessor (EFCOP) and integrated DMA controller. The MSC8101 is fabricated using a 0.13-micron CMOS process, operates from a 1.5V power supply (the I/O subsystem operates from a separate 3.3V supply).

The heart of the MULTI IDE is a source-level debugger with incremental debug capability that supports process- and system-level debug. The debugger provides a separate window for each process, supports mixed assembly and high-level language formats, and includes a language-sensitive expression evaluator. The MULTI 2000 debugger also is fully RTOS aware, which enables designers to debug and tune their applications at a task level. With the MULTI debugger, designers working with popular RTOSs can start and stop tasks, and monitor OS resources like buffers, queues, and streams.

The MULTI 2000 IDE's optimizing compiler automatically partitions C programs for optimal execution on the MSC8101's MAC, ALU and BFU processing units. It also provides more than 100 advanced optimizations that boost performance and code efficiency. Reordering VLES instruction groupings, for example, boosts performance and reduces RAM usage by increasing VLES packing efficiency and increasing parallelism. The compiler also increases parallelism by reordering operations within loops, and reduces looping overhead by supporting zero-overhead hardware looping for loops that are nested up to four deep.

To reduce RAM requirements, the compiler places all string literals, constants, and initialized variables that are declared as const (in the C program) in a distinct section that later can be ROMed. The compiler also reduces RAM requirements by collecting frequently used data and placing it in the lower 16 bits of the address space. This enables the data to be accessed using 32-bit instructions, thereby enhancing VLES packing efficiency.

A new MULTI component is DSP Data Visualization which enables the user to select source code variables in the debugger and view their value in a wide range of graphical formats without changing the application code. Servers exist for a built-in MULTI display package and the industry-leading package MATLAB. Displays are evoked through MULTI's source level debugger and updated by breakpoint events or in real-time continuous mode.

The MULTI IDE provides full support for Motorola's Application Development System MSC8101ADS evaluation board through Motorola's real-time JTAG debug interface, EOnCE, using wigglers like the Macraigor Systems OCDemon. In addition, MULTI supports custom RTOSs and off-the-shelf RTOSs like Embedded Power Corporation's RTXC.

MULTI 2000 for Windows costs $5,900 (US). MULTI 2000 for Unix costs $8,900 (US). Both versions are available immediately.

More On Green Hills Software

Incorporated in 1982, Green Hills Software Inc., is a leading supplier of royalty-free real-time operating systems and software development tools for 32- and 64-bit embedded systems. Green Hills' royalty-free ThreadX(R) and INTEGRITY(TM) real-time operating systems, fully integrated with its market leading compilers and MULTI(R) integrated development environment, provide a total development and run-time solution that addresses both deeply embedded and high-reliability applications. Green Hills Software is headquartered in Santa Barbara, with international headquarters in the United Kingdom. For more information on Green Hills Software products, please call 805/965-6044 or email inquiries to [e-mail]. http://www.ghs.com.