ARC Introduces the New VRaptor(TM) Media Architecture: A Configurable and Scalable Solution for Complex Media Processing Tasks

10 Oct 2006 06:45

ARC International (LSE:ARK) today introduced a new architecturethat will meet the high definition (HD) media processing requirementsin a wide array of consumer devices. The ARC(R) VRaptor(TM) MediaArchitecture will scale from simple MP3 decode to complex HD H.264encode using an architecture that efficiently exploits parallelism inadvanced media applications. ARC's VRaptor Media Architecture willsupport multiple ARC 750D CPUs with media extensions, multiplevectorized 128-bit SIMD processors, high performance streaming I/O,and domain specific accelerators. All can be connected by ARC's newactive communication channels technology. The ARC VRaptor MediaArchitecture will be the foundation of ARC's next-generation MediaSubsystems, the first of which will be available to system-on-chip(SoC) designers globally in early 2007. £ Legacy "fixed architectures" aren't well suited to meet therequirements of highly complex -- yet power sensitive --media-oriented processing tasks. As an example, a generic 32-bit RISCprocessor could require as much as 18 GHz for standard definition (SD)H.264 encode or 5 GHz for MPEG-4 encode. ARC's VRaptor MediaArchitecture leverages the power of its patented configurabletechnology to deliver an elegant implementation that capitalizes uponapplication-level parallelism. ARC's VRaptor Media Architecture willrequire only 200 MHz for SD H.264 encoding, while retaining all of thebenefits of a programmable solution. £ "The new VRaptor architecture has been designed from the ground upwith the needs of media-intensive applications in mind," said PeterHutton, senior vice president of engineering at ARC International."VRaptor takes a holistic approach to SoC design by integratingconfigurable, scalable hardware and software with an optimizedinterconnect solution. This is a radically different approach tohelping customers overcome their SoC design challenges compared to theindustry'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 SIMDprocessors are capable of handling a variety of media operations suchas deblock filters, pixel transforms, and audio processing in the ARCVRaptor Media Architecture. Each have a rich array of arithmetic,logical, and control instructions, configurable and programmablevector and scalar registers, as well as a set of application specificinstructions that are specifically tailored to accelerate complexoperations. They will be connected via ARC's active communicationchannels technology to optional configurable media accelerators thatare capable of performing repetitive, computationally intensive taskssuch as motion estimation or entropy encoding in the case of videoencoding, and to VRaptor's I/O devices for DMA operations. £ Programmable £ Because VRaptor is a heterogeneous multi-core architecture, theconfigurable ARC 750D CPUs, vectorized SIMD media processors,dedicated hardware accelerators, and I/O devices are programmed withthe same tools and interconnected with ARC's active communicationchannels technology. This will simplify the software developmentprocess and enable SoC designers to easily include codecs andalgorithms over time, extending the market life of chips based uponthe VRaptor Architecture. £ Configurable and Scalable £ The VRaptor Architecture can scale from a single ARC 710D CPU upto multiple configurable ARC 750D CPUs, each with multiple mediaprocessors, multiple accelerators, and multiple I/O devices. Thesmallest instantiation will be less than 0.5 mm2 in a 90nm process. £ Tools £ Each vectorized media processor has been created using ARC'spatented configurable technology, and extended from a baseconfiguration of an ARC 750D CPU. This will ensure instruction-levelcompatibility with the ARCompact(TM) ISA and allow support by the sametoolsets that support other ARC subsystems and processors. Includedare MetaWare and GNU tools, which provide extensive profiling, debug,and assembly level support. These are being enhanced to include avectorized compiler and fast models. £ Low Power £ As with all ARC products, the VRaptor Architecture is beingdesigned with low power requirements in mind, including power downfeatures, and real time software and hardware tradeoffs. £ Active Communication Channels Technology £ The patent-pending active communication channels technology in theVRaptor Media Architecture is an active channel protocol that is basedaround Remote Invocation. It provides point-to-point links in hardwarebetween the VRaptor cores, VRaptor accelerators and VRaptor I/Oelements, and carries commands as well as data. The activecommunication channels technology is supported directly by newinstruction extensions in ARC's configurable ISA, and eliminatesmessage interpretation overhead. It provides for a unified programmingmodel that simplifies the programming overhead that is oftenassociated with multi-processor architectures. £ Availability £ The ARC VRaptor Media Architecture is being implemented in ARC'snext-generation Media Subsystems, the first of which will be availableto SoC designers globally in early 2007. For more information contactARC International at info@arc.com or visit www.arc.com. £ About ARC International plc £ ARC International is the world leader in configurable subsystemsand CPU/DSP processors that are used by semiconductor companiesworldwide to create system-on-chip (SoC) designs that provide astrategic competitive advantage. ARC's patented configurable productsare smaller, consume less power, are less expensive to manufacture,and provide a higher degree of differentiation over what can becreated using "fixed architecture" core alternatives. £ ARC International maintains a worldwide presence with corporateand research and development offices in California and Elstree, UK.For more information visit www.ARC.com. ARC International is listed onthe London Stock Exchange as ARC International plc (LSE:ARK). £ ARC, the ARC logo, ARCompact, and VRaptor are trademarks orregistered trademarks of ARC International. All other brands orproduct names contained herein are the property of their respectiveowners. This press release may contain certain "forward-lookingstatements" that involve risks and uncertainties, including thedevelopment, implementation, and release of features described herein.These are at the sole discretion of ARC International. 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