There's more than one way to execute multiple instructions per clock cycle. Arc International is taking an interesting approach with its new Java accelerator hardware for the ArcTangent-A4 customizable microprocessor. This Java accelerator was developed in conjunction with Digital Communications Technologies Ltd.
The Java accelerator translates Java bytecodes to native instructions, using the existing processor and register set to support Java applications. Multiple bytecodes in a clock cycle are executed when multiple Java bytecodes are mapped to a single ArcTangent in-struction.
This on-the-fly optimization takes advantage of new, Java-oriented in-structions plus register remapping for Java stack support. These optimizable bytecode sequences are common with typical applications, letting them run faster on the hardware-enhanced processor.
The Java implementation adds only 5 kgates to the small 40 kgates used by the ArcTangent-A4 core. Adding per-ipherals and processor functionality will increase the number of gates in the final product.
The Java support is available immediately. ArcTangent-A4 licensing is negotiated on a per project basis.
Arc International, www.arccores.com; (408) 437-3400.
