JUNE 18--Addressing the requirements of demanding signal-processing systems, Analog Devices Inc. (Norwood, MA; www.analog.com), a high-performance semiconductor provider for signal-processing applications, has unveiled its next generation of TigerSHARC processors: the ADSP-TS201/202/203. These devices provide designers with a new platform on which to build high-performance and memory-intensive signal-processing and imaging applications--from full software radio implementations in 2G, 2.5G, and 3G wireless base stations, 3-D ultrasound and other medical imaging systems, radar and sonar applications, to industrial instrumentation. The new family of TigerSHARC processors delivers up to 1800 MFLOPS/W, 85 MFLOPS per dollar, and 3600 MFLOPS per square inch.
"Applications requiring dozens of gigaflops of signal-processing muscle were once the sole domain of expensive-to-design ASICs and power-hungry FPGAs," said Brian McAloon, group vice president and general manager, DSP and system products, Analog Devices Inc. "With TigerSHARC, however, we have been able to significantly reduce the system cost of very-high-performance signal-processing systems in base stations, for example, by replacing ASICs and FPGAs. This saves our customers time and board space and creates a software-defined radio platform that can be upgraded or reconfigured using software."
As a software-programmable processor, which can be programmed in C/C++ and/or in assembly language, TigerSHARC enables easy IP reuse--thereby enhancing R&D productivity through each successive product generation. This programmability also dramatically lowers product maintenance costs by allowing designers to remotely upgrade systems that are already in the field.
