Digital ICs/DSP: ARM7 Core Targets Flash-Based FPGAs As New Host Platforms

Feb. 16, 2006

A soft ARM7 core, the CoreMP7, has been optimized for use in the ProASIC3 family of flash-based FPGAs. The 32-bit ARM7 processor core is available for use free of license fees, reducing the cost of entry and increasing designer access to system-on-a-chip (SoC) development with the ARM7 family. Able to operate at up to 25 MHz, the CoreMP7 well suits use in many applications, including digital cameras, kitchen appliances, automotive traction control systems, car infotainment systems, robotics, and medical equipment. The core also will be supported by a complete development environment, including the company's CoreConsole tool and Libero Integrated Design Environment (IDE), a development kit, and a host of third-party tools. The core will be available for use with other FPGA families, including the company's Fusion series, which incorporates analog and nonvolatile memory on a single device to enable a true programmable system chip.

Actel Corp.
www.actel.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.