PMC-Sierra Introduces New Highly Integrated SoC-based 64-bit MIPS Microprocessor Architecture.Business Editors/High-Tech Writers SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 17, 2004 RM9150 Leverages SoC Platform Methodology, E9000 Microprocessor Core and Advanced System Bus Architecture Today at the Embedded Processor Forum, PMC-Sierra, Inc. (Nasdaq:PMCS PMCS PMC Sierra (stock symbol) PMCS Project Management Control System PMCS partial mission-capable, supply (US DoD) PMCS Preventive Maintenance Checks & Services PMCS Professional Military Comptroller School ) announced the first System-on-Chip (SoC) based on its new system interconnect which offers an unprecedented level of feature integration coupled with industry-leading microprocessor performance. The Fast Device Bus(TM) interconnect was defined to fully leverage the performance of PMC-Sierra's 1GHz E9000(TM) microprocessor and supports an extensive set of high-throughput peripherals such as a 200 MHz 64-bit DDR SDRAM controller, a 600 MHz HyperTransport(TM) interface, as well as two Gigabit Ethernet MACs, and dual PCI (1) (Payment Card Industry) See PCI DSS. (2) (Peripheral Component Interconnect) The most widely used I/O bus (peripheral bus). interfaces. The RM9150(TM) microprocessor is targeted at networking, storage, industrial control, printer, advanced consumer and other high volume applications. The RM9150's E9000 microprocessor and on-chip peripherals are linked to the Fast Device Bus through a common design interface, PMC-Sierra's Generic Device Interface (GDI (Graphics Device Interface) The traditional programming interface (API) for output in Windows. When an application needs to display or print, it makes a call to a GDI function and sends it the parameters for the object that must be created. ) (see Figure 1). The GDI is a simple, easy-to-design-to interface for new or existing Intellectual Property (IP) blocks to support SoC design flows for standard products, customer specific products and ASICs. GDI is scalable and interconnect independent, in that any IP designed with a GDI is re-usable, and can support either bus or switch architectures. In addition, designing all on-chip peripherals with a GDI greatly reduces the design verification time required and enables seamless IP block integration for better performance and faster time-to-market. "The RM9150 microprocessor is the first in a family of products designed using PMC-Sierra's Fast Device Bus-based SoC platform," said John Monson, vice president of marketing, Microprocessor Products Division at PMC-Sierra. "With this new design methodology, we can now quickly and easily integrate our scalable microprocessors with peripherals and system I/O (Input/Output) The transfer of data between the CPU and a peripheral device. Every transfer is an output from one device and an input to another. See PC input/output. I/O - Input/Output selected from PMC-Sierra's broad portfolio of IP technology as well as from customer and industry IP." About the RM9150 Microprocessor The RM9150 device is a highly integrated, feature-rich SoC and is the third product to use PMC-Sierra's proven E9000 64-bit MIPS (Million Instructions Per Second) The execution speed of a computer. For example, .5 MIPS is 500,000 instructions per second; 100 MIPS is a hundred million instructions per second. (R) microprocessor core. The high-performance E9000 microprocessor can scale from 600 MHz to 1 GHz operating frequencies and supports 256 KB of low-latency L2 cache tightly coupled to the microprocessor. This enables the RM9150 microprocessor to maintain compatibility with and leverage a comprehensive offering of optimized compilers, operating systems and third party debug tools support that are currently available for the RM9000x2(TM) and RM9000x2GL(TM) product families. The RM9150 device feature set includes a 64-bit 200 MHz SDRAM (Synchronous DRAM) A type of dynamic RAM (DRAM) memory chip that has been widely used since the late 1990s. SDRAM chips eliminated wait states by dividing the chip into two cell blocks and interleaving data between them. controller capable of supporting both DDR (Double Data Rate) Refers to an SDRAM memory chip that increases performance by doubling the effective data rate of the frontside bus. For more details, see SDRAM. DDR - Double Data Rate Random Access Memory I and DDR II memories. Also included are two 10/100/1000 Ethernet controllers, a 600 MHz DDR HyperTransport interface, a dual 32-bit, 66 MHz PCI controllers, a 4-channel DMA (1) (Digital Media Adapter) See digital media hub. (2) (Document Management Alliance) A specification that provides a common interface for accessing and searching document databases. controller, a Local Bus controller for glueless support of Flash, Compact Flash, PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association, San Jose, CA, www.pcmcia.org) An international standards body and trade association that was founded in 1989 to establish a standard for connecting peripherals to portable computers. PCMCIA created the PC Card. See PC Card. , and external USB USB in full Universal Serial Bus Type of serial bus that allows peripheral devices (disks, modems, printers, digitizers, data gloves, etc.) to be easily connected to a computer. devices, dual asynchronous Refers to events that are not synchronized, or coordinated, in time. The following are considered asynchronous operations. The interval between transmitting A and B is not the same as between B and C. The ability to initiate a transmission at either end. receiver/transmitter (DUART DUART Dual Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter DUART Dual Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter ), 32 KB of scratch memory and 64 GPIO GPIO General Purpose Input/Output GPIO General Purpose Input Output pins. This broad range of system peripherals makes it ideal for embedded control processing applications such as Ethernet routers and switches, line cards, network attached storage, industrial control, high-end laser printers, imaging and high-end consumer applications that require multiple high-speed interconnects and single-chip integration. The RM9150 microprocessor provides powerful processing power while also enabling low system Bill-of-Materials (BOM) costs, compact board space and low power dissipation. PMC-Sierra's MIPS-based SoC architecture is designed to be software compatible with our microprocessors while giving customers an avenue to increase integration and lower costs as systems enter high volume production. Pricing, Availability and Customer Support Initial samples of the RM9150 device are planned for Q3, 2004 with volume pricing estimated at $85 for 600 MHz devices. The RM9150 device is fabricated in 130 nm CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) Pronounced "c-moss." The most widely used integrated circuit design. It is found in almost every electronic product from handheld devices to mainframes. process and is available in an 896-pin Flip Chip BGA package. About PMC-Sierra's RM9000 Family of MIPS-based Microprocessors PMC-Sierra's RM9000 family of highly integrated 64-bit MIPS-based dual- and single-core microprocessors provide the highest levels of processing power and peripheral I/O integration, designed for networking, storage, industrial control, color laser printers and high-end consumer applications. For more information on the RM9150, RM9000x1(TM), RM9000x2 devices and RM9000x1GL(TM) and RM9000x2GL families including comprehensive data sheets and evaluation boards, visit www.pmc-sierra.com/processors. About PMC-Sierra PMC-Sierra(TM) is a leading provider of high-speed broadband communications and storage semiconductors and MIPS-based(TM) microprocessors for Enterprise, Access, Metro Optical Transport, Storage Area Networking and Wireless network equipment. The company offers worldwide technical and sales support, including a network of offices throughout North America, Europe and Asia. The company is publicly traded on the NASDAQ Stock Market Nasdaq stock market The first electronic stock market listing over 5000 companies. The Nasdaq stock market comprises two separate markets, namely the Nasdaq National Market, which trades large, active securities and the Nasdaq Smallcap Market that trades emerging growth companies. under the PMCS symbol and is included in the S&P 500 Index, which consists of 500 stocks chosen for market size, liquidity, and industry group representation. For more information, visit www.pmc-sierra.com. Attachments Figure 1: RM9150 Block Diagram available at www.pmc-sierra.com/pressRoom/pr/images/20040517_pr_figure1.jpg Product Photo available at www.pmc-sierra.com/pressRoom/photos/hi-res/E9K_RM9150_5x7_300dpi.jpg Resources to Extend Your Product Knowledge and Understanding PMC-Sierra Microprocessor Products www.pmc-sierra.com/processors PMC-Sierra New Products www.pmc-sierra.com/products/newProducts.html PMC-Sierra Microprocessor Webinars www.pmc-sierra.com/webinars (C) Copyright PMC-Sierra, Inc. 2004. E9000, Fast Device Bus, PMC, PMCS, PMC-Sierra, RM9000x1, RM9000x1GL, RM9000x2, RM9000x2GL, RM9150 and Thinking you can build on are trademarks of PMC-Sierra, Inc. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. |
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