SoC Packs DSP And µP Cores, Slashes Progamming Time

The OMAP5910 combines on-chip an ARM RISC processor for orchestrating command and control activities with a DSP specializing in performing computation-intensive signal processing tasks. To this combination are added a host of other on-chip circuitry and a built-in interprocesssor communication mechanism that is said to eliminate the need for programming the RISC and DSP independently, greatly reducing programming time and design complexity. The bottom line: This potent system-on-a-chip is designed to meet the needs of developers in need of extensive programming capabilities for next-generation applications, such as digital media, biometrics, location-based services, enhanced gaming devices, and telematics. Besides the two processor cores, the SoC also packs 192 KB of RAM, USB 1.1 Host and Client, MMC/SD card interface, multi-channel buffered serial ports, real-time clock, GPIO and UARTs, LCD interface, and SPI. Development tools and support are available. OMAP5910 comes in a 289-pin MicroStar BGA package priced at $32 each/10,000. Samples are available, with production set for Q1 2003. For more details, contact TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INC., Dallas, TX. (800) 336-5236.