Reconfigurable Products Go Beyond ASICs,
Delivering Flexibility and Programmability to Next Generation Signal
Processing.SMART NETWORKS DEVELOPER FORUM,
DALLAS – March 24, 2003 – Motorola, Inc, (NYSE:MOT) demonstrated
advanced development tools and new silicon based on Reconfigurable Compute
Fabric (RCF) technology at its Smart Networks Developer Forum in Dallas, Texas.
The company also announced its intention to offer comprehensive and programmable
baseband solutions for wireless infrastructure
applications.
Wireless infrastructure systems
developers face seemingly contradictory requirements as they prepare to deploy
new technologies in an ever-changing business climate. On one hand, extreme
competitive pressure exists to use highly integrated components in order to
reduce overall system cost. On the other hand, the continuing evolution of
standards and market uncertainty demand flexibility, field-upgradability, and
scalability. Until now, this challenge has been addressed through the use of
ASICs and FPGAs for MIPS intensive signal processing tasks - a choice that may
undermine system cost, flexibility, time-to-market, and OEMs’ cost per
channel objectives.
RCF devices offer the
benefits of a programmable DSP solution for baseband processing, while
approaching the cost, power consumption, and processing capability of a
traditional ASIC-based approach.
"This marks
the first time a major DSP supplier has moved into the area of reconfigurable
signal processing," commented Will Strauss, president of Forward Concepts. "The
time is right. This technology will bring us a step closer to true
software-defined radio."
Along with MSC810x
StarCore® technology-based DSPs, RCF devices deliver an innovative system
solution for 2.5G and 3G baseband processing. The highly flexible RCF devices
are based on an array of optimized processing elements, and present an efficient
solution for computationally intensive tasks. Motorola RCF and DSP product
strategy encompasses aggressive cost per channel targets with flexibility,
device integration, and support for advanced system-level features that address
the immediate and longer-term market evolution toward lower cost base stations
and increased functionality.
“With an
advanced architecture and an array of tools and software libraries,
Motorola’s RCF solution combines the cost-effectiveness of an ASIC with
the flexibility of a DSP in a manner that satisfies the complex requirements of
wireless systems,” says Lynelle McKay, vice president and general manager
of Motorola’s RF and DSP Infrastructure Systems Division. “With
Motorola, customers can choose from a breadth of flexible and programmable
offerings – including PowerPC® host processors, DSPs, and now RCF,
while meeting system cost targets.”
“Our analysis shows that a combination
of DSP and RCF offers an advantageous solution for all elements of 2.5G and 3G
baseband processing including equalization, chip rate, symbol rate, and advanced
3G functions like smart antenna and multi user detection,” said Roman
Robles, manager, Digital Technologies Operation, RF and DSP Infrastructure
Systems Division. “Other potential applications for RCF are echo
cancellation and video processing, in particular MPEG-4
encode/decode.”
Unlike FPGAs and ASICs,
RCF does not require Hardware Description Language (HDL) coding and is fully
programmable in C and assembly languages. As a part of Motorola’s
commitment to provide comprehensive state-of-the-art solutions, Metrowerks
expects to offer its highly integrated CodeWarrior® development environment
for RCF – the same award-winning environment used for DSP and host
processor software development. Motorola also expects to offer an extensive
library of integrated and verified communication and signal processing modules,
plus a range of hardware development platforms to expedite proof-of-concept
designs and deployment.
Key Benefits of
Motorola RCF Devices*Programmability and
flexibility to adapt to new standards and
markets
*Fast time to market (no need for long
hardware design cycles) and therefore increased revenues
*Long time in market due to ability to modify
equipment in the field
*Optimized use of computing
resources with ability to adjust resources based on traffic load
*Competitive system cost and lower overall cost of
ownership
Pricing and Availability
Specific Motorola RCF products and solutions are
expected to be announced at Motorola’s Smart Networks Developer Forum
Europe in June. To learn more about RCF, contact your local Motorola or
Metrowerks sales office or visit
www.motorola.com/smartnetworks.
Metrowerks creates CodeWarrior software and hardware
products and services for developers, with a particular focus on the following
industries: consumer electronics; transportation; wireless; and networking and
communications. The CodeWarrior product line includes hardware and software
development tools and middleware that enable customers to accelerate their time
to market. In addition, Metrowerks is a recognized leader in the consumer
electronics market, serving customers that include Sharp, SonyEricsson,
Nintendo, Motorola PCS and more. The company also offers services, including
training and custom software development. Founded in 1985, Metrowerks is today
an independent operating subsidiary of Motorola Inc. (NYSE:MOT). Metrowerks
corporate headquarters are in Austin, Texas; Metrowerks Europe is headquartered
in Basel, Switzerland; and Metrowerks Japan is headquartered in Tokyo. For more
information, please visit
http://www.metrowerks.com/.
