Xemics adds 16-bit DSP to Cool cores

Xemics adds 16-bit DSP to Cool cores
MUNICH, Germany — Xemics SA (Neuchatel, Switzerland) has reached agreement with DSP Group Inc. (Santa Clara, Calif.) to apply its 0.25-micron CooLib low-power library technology to DSP Group's Teak 16-bit fixed-point DSP core.

The CoolTeakLite core extends DSP performance beyond DSP Group's industry-standard Oak DSP core by providing higher Mips performance, lower current and better process migration, according to DSP Group. The company said the new core can operate at 38-MHz clock frequency at a 1.2-V supply voltage.

The CoolTeakLite consists of three main execution units operating in parallel: the computation and bit-manipulation unit; the data-addressing unit; and the program-control unit. It delivers a single-cycle multiply accumulate, single-cycle exponent evaluation and includes a single-cycle Viterbi acceleration function. It joins the CoolARC 32-bit microprocessor within Xemic's portfolio of low-power optimized designs.

Xemics, a subsidiary of the Swiss watch industry's CSEM research center, has specialized in low-voltage and low-power technologies for use in battery-operated equipment.

The CooLib library features cells for use in ASIC development specially configured to minimize capacitance and power consumption. It has been made available for licensing through Mentor Graphics Corp. and has been ported to 0.5-, 0.35- and 0.25-micron CMOS processes from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (Hsinchu, Taiwan) and to a 0.5-micron process from Tower Semiconductor (Migdal Haemek, Israel).

Xemics said it was aiming the CoolTeakLite at applications in digital cellular telephones, hearing aids, portable modems and embedded-control applications.