Transitive Technologies Ltd. Previews Breakthrough CPU Morphing Software Platform at Embedded Processor Forum.

Business Editors and High-Tech Writers

Embedded Processor Forum

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 11, 2001

Transitive Technologies Ltd. Monday unveiled Dynamite(TM), the first commercially-available virtual CPU software platform that allows binary code written for a subject CPU to run on a target CPU at near native speed.

Manufacturers using this breakthrough software technology can now upgrade to next-generation CPUs without alienating the huge libraries of software written for previous generation hardware, or use the same application software code across different CPU platforms. This capability yields significant time-to-market and cost advantages for CPU, System-on-a-Chip (SoC) and equipment manufacturers, as well as allows end users to potentially run the same software applications across different CPU platforms.

"As we enter into an era of continued demand for faster CPUs as well as different Internet-network appliances using different processor architectures, it becomes extremely complicated and costly to develop new software code for every piece of hardware," said John Graham, president and CEO of Transitive Technologies. "Transitive is addressing this problem as a pure-play software company. We have developed a CPU-configurable software platform that allows software code written for one CPU to operate on another CPU. Proprietary algorithms built into our software permit this optimized translation to run at native speeds or better."

Dynamite is built upon a well-accepted methodology called Optimizing Dynamic Binary Translation. Similar techniques have been lab tested and used non-commercially by IBM and Hewlett Packard for specific CPU pairs and is being successfully utilized in Transmeta's hardware/software hybrid processor architecture, Crusoe(TM), which emulates an Intel X86 processor in a VLIW machine.

Transitive is the first company to develop a CPU-independent Optimizing Dynamic Binary Translation software platform that can transparently adapt any CPU architecture -- Intel X86, MIPS, ARM, etc. -- to another CPU architecture without emulation penalty. Target applications that can take advantage of Dynamite include:

-- Legacy code conversion.

-- Easy CPU migration or replacement.

-- Wider application availability immediately upon product introduction.

-- Internet-based plug-ins on virtually any CPU platform.

-- JAVA(TM) Byte-Code to Binary Translation.

-- Acceleration of native binary code at run time.

Transitive will also engage selectively in co-architecture of new "ISA free" CPU designs that can take optimum advantage of this "disruptive" technology.

Dynamite Architecture Description

The Dynamite software architecture layer deploys between compiled executable binary code and the target hardware. Dynamite has a modular design consisting basically of a front end to convert "subject CPU" code to an intermediate representation, a kernel that analyzes and optimizes the intermediate representation, and a back end for "target CPU" code generation. At run-time, Dynamite identifies "hot-spots" (sections of code that are frequently executed) and performs a suite of "clever" optimizations. These operations yield highly optimized target code unique to that particular execution of the application. Dynamite remembers, or caches, and re-uses the optimized hot-spot code in a given run. The Dynamite kernel is independent of the ISA so Dynamite can be configured for any subject and target CPUs. The kernel is also scalable to accommodate different performance/memory footprint trade-off requirements.

Dynamite uses a proprietary translation technology (patent pending) that is an order-of-magnitude faster than prior state-of-the-art technology. Faster translation upfront allows more time for optimization. Run-time observations guide the optimization allowing Dynamite to "win back" more than the time spent in translation and optimization. Transitives performance roadmap projects 1:1 or better performance across reasonable architectures.

Dynamite can be deployed above the target operating system (OS) in "multiple binary" mode executing different binary code streams simultaneously in a single target environment. Dynamite can also be deployed below the subject OS interfacing to raw target CPU hardware and processing entire applications and OS loads of the subject machine transparently to the user.

"Dynamite's very low translation overhead technology allows more time for clever run-time optimizations. This yields an overall execution time comparable to, or better than, the native code speed," commented Alasdair Rawsthorne, founder and CTO of Transitive Technologies. "We expect to see improvements in the range of 10%-30% over native code by the first quarter of 2002."

Steve Furber, professor of Computer Engineering, University of Manchester, England, called Transitive's technology "impressive" and their initial benchmarks "very promising."

"Transitive is developing a technology that has the potential to throw the architecture market wide open. It offers portability between existing architectures with an efficiency way beyond that previously considered achievable and it opens the door to radically innovative architectures through its co-architecture model," Furber further commented.

Transitive is showing a pre-release DEMO of an X86 to MIPS configuration of Dynamite at the Embedded Processor Forum, June 11-15 in a private suite at the Fairmont Hotel, San Jose. Interested parties should contact Jeff Kass at 858/674-2244, or [e-mail].

About Transitive Technologies Ltd.

Transitive is a venture-financed private company with operations in Manchester, England and San Diego. The company develops and licenses CPU specific implementations of Dynamite and selectively engages in "ISA free" co-architecture projects for novel hybrid hardware/software CPU designs. The company can be contacted at 858/674-2244 or www.transitives.com.