Wasabi Systems has completed a “highly optimized” GNU toolchain for Intel XScale Technology microprocessors supporting Linux, BSD, and Bare-Metal embedded applications. Wasabi has also completed a port of Embedded NetBSD to the XScale architecture. Wasabi's toolchain and OS target storage, networking, and personal connectivity applications.

Wasabi says its GCC modifications greatly improve runtime performance on Linux/IA32 and CygWin/IA32 hosts, using both internal (GNU) and external test suites.

Wasabi first announced its collaboration with Intel to optimize the GNU toolchain for Xscale in September of 2003, and it maintains that collaboration with Intel “uniquely positions” it to provide products and services for XScale processors. Intel Capital is an investor in Wasabi Systems.

Wasabi calls the XScale's performance-power profile “ideal for various embedded market segments, including storage, networking, and personal connectivity.” XScale, based on StrongARM technology, was first announced by Intel in August of 2000.

Wasabi has begun migrating its optimizations back to the FSF (Free Software Foundation), and the optimized toolchain will be made available to developers “in the near future,” it says.

Additionally, Wasabi has released a port of Embedded NetBSD for XScale. The port is available now on a per-seat licensing basis, and includes optimizations for embedded deployments, as well as the new optimized GNU toolchain, according to Wasabi.

“With the completion of our optimized GNU toolchain, our OEMs can now easily leverage our proven design solutions and XScale Technology microprocessors, to deploy first-class products,” said Frank G. Logan, III, CEO of Wasabi.

“Wasabi Systems's performance optimizations in the GNU Toolchain should provide another option for improving our customers' ability to utilize the advanced features of our XScale processors.” said Dave Boehmer, Director of Applications and Platform Engineering for Intel's Storage Components Division.

 
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