MPU Raises Integration And Performance Bars

Representing the first member of the VR7700 family of MIPS processors, the 64-bit VR7701 extends the company's superscalar architecture with an additional 256 KB of L2 cache and a DDR SDRAM controller. Along with the 400-MHz core, the device also integrates a PCI-X 1.1 bus interface with a 133-MHz clock frequency and two 10/100 Ethernet media access controllers. The core operates on 1.5V and overall power consumption is less than 5W under normal operating conditions. The processor supports either 2.5V or 3.3V I/O signals. Operating system support includes Linux, VxWorks and Windows CE, with the device working with compilers from Algorithmics, Green Hills Software, and Red Hat. Price is $70 each/10,000. NEC CORP., Santa Clara, CA. (408) 588-6000.