Arkle Res Regulatory News (ARK)

10 Oct 2006 07:00

70x More Efficient than Legacy "Fixed Architecture" Offerings ARC International (LSE:ARK) today introduced a new architecture that will meetthe high definition (HD) media processing requirements in a wide array ofconsumer devices. The ARC(R) VRaptor(TM) Media Architecture will scale fromsimple MP3 decode to complex HD H.264 encode using an architecture thatefficiently exploits parallelism in advanced media applications. ARC's VRaptorMedia Architecture will support multiple ARC 750D CPUs with media extensions,multiple vectorized 128-bit SIMD processors, high performance streaming I/O, anddomain specific accelerators. All can be connected by ARC's new activecommunication channels technology. The ARC VRaptor Media Architecture will bethe foundation of ARC's next-generation Media Subsystems, the first of whichwill be available to system-on-chip (SoC) designers globally in early 2007. Legacy "fixed architectures" aren't well suited to meet the requirements ofhighly complex -- yet power sensitive -- media-oriented processing tasks. As anexample, a generic 32-bit RISC processor could require as much as 18 GHz forstandard definition (SD) H.264 encode or 5 GHz for MPEG-4 encode. ARC's VRaptorMedia Architecture leverages the power of its patented configurable technologyto deliver an elegant implementation that capitalizes upon application-levelparallelism. ARC's VRaptor Media Architecture will require only 200 MHz for SDH.264 encoding, while retaining all of the benefits of a programmable solution. "The new VRaptor architecture has been designed from the ground up with theneeds of media-intensive applications in mind," said Peter Hutton, senior vicepresident of engineering at ARC International. "VRaptor takes a holisticapproach to SoC design by integrating configurable, scalable hardware andsoftware with an optimized interconnect solution. This is a radically differentapproach to helping customers overcome their SoC design challenges compared tothe industry's usual processor-centric dogma." Details of the ARC(R) VRaptor(TM) Media Architecture: Vectorized SIMD Media Processors Multiple configurations of ARC's award-winning 128-bit SIMD processors arecapable of handling a variety of media operations such as deblock filters, pixeltransforms, and audio processing in the ARC VRaptor Media Architecture. Eachhave a rich array of arithmetic, logical, and control instructions, configurableand programmable vector and scalar registers, as well as a set of applicationspecific instructions that are specifically tailored to accelerate complexoperations. They will be connected via ARC's active communication channelstechnology to optional configurable media accelerators that are capable ofperforming repetitive, computationally intensive tasks such as motion estimationor entropy encoding in the case of video encoding, and to VRaptor's I/O devicesfor DMA operations. Programmable Because VRaptor is a heterogeneous multi-core architecture, the configurable ARC750D CPUs, vectorized SIMD media processors, dedicated hardware accelerators,and I/O devices are programmed with the same tools and interconnected with ARC'sactive communication channels technology. This will simplify the softwaredevelopment process and enable SoC designers to easily include codecs andalgorithms over time, extending the market life of chips based upon the VRaptorArchitecture. Configurable and Scalable The VRaptor Architecture can scale from a single ARC 710D CPU up to multipleconfigurable ARC 750D CPUs, each with multiple media processors, multipleaccelerators, and multiple I/O devices. The smallest instantiation will be lessthan 0.5 mm2 in a 90nm process. Tools Each vectorized media processor has been created using ARC's patentedconfigurable technology, and extended from a base configuration of an ARC 750DCPU. This will ensure instruction-level compatibility with the ARCompact(TM) ISAand allow support by the same toolsets that support other ARC subsystems andprocessors. Included are MetaWare and GNU tools, which provide extensiveprofiling, debug, and assembly level support. These are being enhanced toinclude a vectorized compiler and fast models. Low Power As with all ARC products, the VRaptor Architecture is being designed with lowpower requirements in mind, including power down features, and realtime software and hardware tradeoffs. Active Communication Channels Technology The patent-pending active communication channels technology in the VRaptor MediaArchitecture is an active channel protocol that is based around RemoteInvocation. It provides point-to-point links in hardware between the VRaptorcores, VRaptor accelerators and VRaptor I/O elements, and carries commands aswell as data. The active communication channels technology is supported directlyby new instruction extensions in ARC's configurable ISA, and eliminates messageinterpretation overhead. It provides for a unified programming model thatsimplifies the programming overhead that is often associated withmulti-processor architectures. Availability The ARC VRaptor Media Architecture is being implemented in ARC's next-generationMedia Subsystems, the first of which will be available to SoC designers globallyin early 2007. For more information contact ARC International at info@arc.com orvisit www.arc.com. About ARC International plc ARC International is the world leader in configurable subsystems and CPU/DSPprocessors that are used by semiconductor companies worldwide to createsystem-on-chip (SoC) designs that provide a strategic competitive advantage.ARC's patented configurable products are smaller, consume less power, are lessexpensive to manufacture, and provide a higher degree of differentiation overwhat can be created using "fixed architecture" core alternatives. ARC International maintains a worldwide presence with corporate and research anddevelopment offices in California and Elstree, UK. For more information visitwww.ARC.com. ARC International is listed on the London Stock Exchange as ARCInternational plc (LSE:ARK). ARC, the ARC logo, ARCompact, and VRaptor are trademarks or registeredtrademarks of ARC International. All other brands or product names containedherein are the property of their respective owners. This press release maycontain certain "forward-looking statements" that involve risks anduncertainties, including the development, implementation, and release offeatures described herein. These are at the sole discretion of ARCInternational. For other factors that could cause actual results to differ,visit the company's Website as well as the listing particulars filed with theUnited Kingdom Listing Authority and the Registrar of Companies in England andWales. \* TCONTACT: ARC International Lee Garvin Flanagin, +1 408-437-3433 lee.flanagin@arc.com\* T Copyright Business Wire 2006