[Updated: Apr. 8] — AMCC will team with several partners to demonstrate its Linux-compatible, PowerPC-based processors next week at Embedded Systems Conference Silicon Valley (ESC). Co-demonstrations with Accusys, Arrow, Avnet, Denx, Proware, Silicon Turnkey Express, TeamF1, and Virtutech will include products ranging from wireless gateways to storage devices.

AMCC is known for Power Architecture processors designed for the telecommunications industry, yet also sells its chips as the foundation for storage devices and other equipment. One demonstration will showcase its new WLAN-oriented 405EX system-on-chip (SoC), while several will feature the more mature 440EPx processor. Other processors demonstrated include the 440GX, the 440SPe, the 460GT, and the 460EX.

PPC405EX architecture
(Click to enlarge)
AMCC will co-demonstrate products for the following applications, says the company. Unless otherwise noted, the demonstrations will occur at AMCC's booth:

• Wireless Access Point — AMCC and TeamF1 will demonstrate a PowerPC 405EX-based enterprise wireless LAN access point reference design. This design incorporates TeamF1's MAPS (Managed Access Point Solution) turnkey product, which is in turn based on its Linux-based ASAP (Air Secure Access Point) networking middleware library. AMCC's PPC405EX is built around a PowerPC core clockable from 333MHz to 667MHz, says the company. It integrates dual PCI Express interfaces, dual gigabit Ethernet controllers, cryptographic acceleration, and a DDR2/1 memory controller.
• Secure Gateway — TeamF1 will also collaborate on a demo using a PowerPC 440EPx as the basis for its Secure Gateway Solution, which is said to use hardware security acceleration to stop protocol-level attacks. The 440EPx is touted as the first of AMCC's PowerPC-based processors to feature an integrated security processor, and is claimed to be capable of processing 500Mbps of SSL/IPsec traffic, says AMCC.
• Video Display — The 440EPx will also feature prominently in a separate demonstration with Denx, with the SoC demonstrating real-time interrupt latency benchmarking and video displays using an ATI graphics card.
• DIY Development Subscriptions — In another 440EPx demo at Arrow's booth (#1630), AMCC will demonstrate TimeSys LinuxLink development subscriptions for the processor. Arrow recently signed a distribution agreement with TimeSys.
• Debugging — Virtutech will join AMCC to show off the latter's PowerPC 440GX as part of a system simulation environment using Linux-compatible Virtutech Simics virtualization models for software debugging.
• Wireless communications — Silicon Turnkey Express will show a dual-processor AMC card reference design for wireless infrastructure based on a PowerPC 460GT processor. Introduced last Fall, the 460GT ranges from 667MHz to 1.2GHz with a 2.0 Dhrystone MIPS/MHz rating, says AMCC.
• Storage — AMCC will highlight storage systems from Accusys and Proware equipped with undisclosed AMCC processors. AMCC will also demonstrate “RAID on Linux” video storage product based on the PowerPC 440SPe.
• Evaluation kit — At Avnet's booth (#1128), AMCC will showcase an Avnet evaluation kit for the PowerPC 460EX.

Availability

AMCC will be offering the demonstrations in its booth (#2010) at the Embedded Systems Conference Silicon Valley from April 15 to 17 at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, Calif.

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