Cirrus Logic has unveiled ten new embedded processors in its ARM9-based EP9xxx family. Cirrus says the new processors are ideal for applications such as digital media servers, audio/video jukeboxes, telematic control systems, intelligent house controllers, multizoned stereo audio systems, Internet radios, industrial controls, KVM controllers, biometric security systems, and GPS devices. All ten new processors are supported with Linux kernel ports and WinCE .NET board support packages.

Two key technologies provided by all of Cirrus's ARM9-based embedded processors are the “MaverickKey” digital rights management tool and the “MaverickCrunch” math coprocessor. According to Cirrus, MaverickKey enables assignment of specific hardware IDs for digital rights-management implementation within application software. The MaverickCrunch engine is an advanced, mixed-mode math coprocessor that greatly accelerates the single- and double-precision integer and floating-point processing capabilities of the ARM920T processor core. (MaverickCrunch is not included in the EP9301.)

The new processors, designated the EP9301, EP9303, EP9304, EP9305, EP9306, EP9307, EP9309, EP9310, EP9311 and EP9315, will be priced between $9 and $25 in 10,000 quantity, depending on level of integration.

The first two to become available are the EP9315 and EP9301, which Cirrus describes as follows . . .

• EP9315 — The EP9315 is a highly integrated system-on-a-chip processor intended for next-generation consumer and industrial application products. The EP9315 features CPU speeds of up to 200 MHz and integrates an Ethernet MAC, PCMCIA support, two-channel IDE, and three USB 2.0 hosts. Additionally, the EP9315 supports an 18-bit display, touchscreen, and keypad, and adds a separate graphics accelerator to speed up basic graphic functions such as block copies. The EP9315 also supports multiple audio solutions, up to six channels I2S 24-bit audio, and can encode and decode industry-standard audio algorithms such as AAC, MP3, and Windows Media Audio.
• EP9301 — The EP9301 is an entry-level ARM9-based system-on-chip processor with an extensive set of features and integrated peripherals including CPU speeds of up to 166 MHz, integration of a 1/10/100 Base-T Ethernet media access controller (MAC), and two USB 2.0 host ports.

 
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