Xilinx has launched new ARM Cortex - A9 MPCore processor
integrated FPGA architecture called Extensible Processing
Platform. This platform is targeting both hardware and software
developers of embedded systems.
By using this new Extensible Processing Platform embedded
system designers can customize the design for any specific
application by using both on board ARM processor and FPGA
logic. The advantage is the availability of FPGA processing
power as well as ARM processing power in a single device.
"Today's embedded software developer is being tasked
to build complex applications that require tremendous levels
of system performance, and they need to deliver that performance
within tightly managed cost, schedule and power budgets,"
said Vin Ratford, Xilinx Senior Vice President for Worldwide
Marketing and Business Development. "By creating an
architecture within a familiar ARM processor-based development
framework, this new Extensible Processing Platform can be
the engine of innovation for many design teams held back
today by performance bottlenecks."
Xilinx says a software-centric development flow is enabled
by a processor-centric approach which presents a full processor
system - including caches, memory controllers and commonly
used connectivity and I/O peripherals - that boots and can
run a variety of operating systems (OS) at power-up, such
as Linux, Wind River's VxWorks and Micrium's uC-OSII.
The developer is provided with ARM's dual-core Cortex-A9
MPCoreprocessors, each running at up to 800 MHz, combined
with the parallel-processing capabilities of Xilinx's 28-nanometer
programmable logic. The programmable logic is connected
to the processor system through the high-bandwidth AMBA-AXI
intrachip bus interface.
"Taking advantage of the parallelism of programmable
logic is an excellent method for overcoming cost and power
challenges in systems that require significant levels of
high performance," said Simon Segars, President ARM
Inc. "Xilinx's new architecture abstracts much of the
hardware burden away from the embedded software developers'
point of view, giving them an unprecedented level of control
in the development process."
Xilinx suggests software developers can leverage their
existing system code based on ARM technology and utilize
vast off-the-shelf open-source and commercially available
software component libraries
Another highlight of this platform is the system boots
the OS at reset, software development can get under way
quickly within familiar development and debug environments.
This platform is suggested for use in automotive electronics
to design collision prevention systems. The other application
named includes intelligent video surveillance, industrial
automation, aerospace and defense, and next-generation wireless.
Pricing and availability of this platform is to be announced
in early 2011
Xilinx also announced the introduction of ISE Design Suite
12 software offering advances in timing-driven design preservation,
AMBA 4 AXI4-complaint IP support for plug-and-play design,
and an intuitive design flow. Xilinx claims, for the first
time, ISE design tools deliver 'intelligent' clock-gating
technology that reduces dynamic power consumption by as
much as 30 percent. ISE 12 support for all Xilinx Virtex-6
and Spartan-6 FPGA families
"The need to reduce power and increase performance
while lowering the system cost of next-generation electronics
is common across a wide range of applications and markets.
ISE Design Suite 12 enables designers to balance these demands
with power and cost-saving software innovations that maximize
the capabilities of Virtex(r)-6 and Spartan(r)-6 devices
while improving overall design productivity", said
Neeraj Varma, Country Manager-Sales, India, Australia and
New Zealand. "Xilinx makes its solutions available
to customers across the globe simultaneously, and we are
sure that Indian designers will appreciate the benefits
opened up by the new suite."
Immediately available ISE Design Suite 12.1 is list priced
at US$2,995 for the Logic Edition.
To know more visit www.xilinx.com
