World’s fastest 8051-compatible 80251 microcontroller IP Core

A new 16-bit 80251 microcontroller IP core shipping now from CAST, Inc. runs 69.7 times faster than the original 8051 chip, making it the highest performance MCS51 instruction set compatible IP core currently available. The new S80251XC3 Super-Fast, Configurable 80251 Microcontroller Core is a 16-bit MCU that executes the MCS-51 and MCS-251instruction sets and offers a broad, user-configurable set of features and integrated peripherals. The microcontroller’s advanced architecture enables it to run at an average of one clock per machine cycle, and it requires just one machine cycle per instruction. Dhrystone 2.1 benchmark tests show it to run 0.65 DMIPS/MHz or 69.7 times faster than the original 8051 at the same frequency. Representative 40nm LP ASIC implementations can run with clock frequencies in excess of 300MHz, offering an effective speed up ofmore than 1,500 times over early 8051 chips. Royalty-free, cost-effective, and conservative in its use of power and silicon area, the new core is an excellent choice as a sensor or peripheral subsystem controller in mobile, Internet of Things (IoT), and industrial systems, or as a main embedded processor in mixed-signal ICs for a variety of applications. Built on fourth-generation 8051 code, CAST customers have used previous generation 16-bit 80251s for applications such as high color depth and high resolution display contr...