San Jose, CA; Microprocessor Forum — (press release excerpt) — QuickLogic Corporation today announced the availability of the QuickMIPS ESP field programmable system-on-chip (SOC) family. For the first time, a high-performance processor has been integrated with fully characterized, application specific functionality and a field programmable fabric for flexibility and differentiation. Unique built-in test features combine with an available reference design kit to deliver easy debugging and concurrent hardware and software design capabilities.

The first QuickMIPs device, the QL901M, is based on MIPS Technologies MIPS32 4Kc microprocessor core running at 133 MHz to 175MHz, when built on 0.25-micron and 0.15-micron processes respectively. This new ESP family delivers the unique combination of guaranteed ASSP performance, an ASIC design flow and FPGA flexibility in a single system. The platform is expected to reduce full system design times in such advanced applications as Internet routers, Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP), access platform for wired and wireless communications systems, telecommunications switches and industrial control applications.

At the heart of the embedded processor system is an optimized MIPS32 4Kc hard core with 16K bytes of data and 16K bytes of instruction cache. The 32-bit Advanced High Performance Bus (AHB) with 16Kbits of SRAM allows access to and from both the processor and programmable logic to high performance functions: Two 10/100 Ethernet MACs, a 32-bit 66/33 MHz PCI, MMC (multifunction memory controller) and an interrupt controller. A 32-bit Advanced Peripheral Bus (APB) gives access to four 32-bit timers and two UARTs.

The high-performance programmable fabric totals 457,000 system gates, which includes 2,000 logic cells, 83K bits of dual-port SRAM and 18 Embedded Computational Units (ECUs). An extension of the APB and AHB on the programmable fabric gives users the freedom to customize their products, including the creation of math-intensive functions. This allows easy instantiation of AMBA Bus compliant soft Intellectual Property (IP), which saves designers time and enables them to focus on adding value.

The QuickMIPS design environment includes a reference design kit with drivers as well as the BlueCat Linux and VxWorks operating systems and a QuickMIPS system model.

 
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