DSP Extensions Turn MIPS CPUs Into Media Stars

Oct. 18, 2004

Adding DSP hardware extensions to the MIPS instruction-set architecture (ISA) boosts CPU throughput by up to 300% when handling signal-processing algorithms for audio and video applications. The improved DSP throughput, coupled with the CPU's ability to seamlessly integrate application-specific extensions (ASEs), simplifies and lowers the cost of system-on-a-chip solutions.

Fully supported with GNU-based software development tools, the MIPS DSP ASE includes 8-, 16-, and 32-bit single-instruction/multiple-data (SIMD) operations. Some of the extensions include saturating and fractional math instructions, variable bit insert/extract, and popular DSP operations. Also available are various tools, libraries, and operating-system support offerings.

MIPS32 and MIPS64 ISA customers can license the DSP ASE. MIPS Technologies will integrate it into future 32- and 64-bit cores. Contact MIPS for licensing terms.

MIPS Technologies Inc.www.mips.com

About the Author

Dave Bursky | Technologist

Dave Bursky, the founder of New Ideas in Communications, a publication website featuring the blog column Chipnastics – the Art and Science of Chip Design. He is also president of PRN Engineering, a technical writing and market consulting company. Prior to these organizations, he spent about a dozen years as a contributing editor to Chip Design magazine. Concurrent with Chip Design, he was also the technical editorial manager at Maxim Integrated Products, and prior to Maxim, Dave spent over 35 years working as an engineer for the U.S. Army Electronics Command and an editor with Electronic Design Magazine.