XAP processors

Efficient processing solutions are needed if modern chip designs are to meet the market’s performance and cost requirements. Advances in semiconductor fabrication using deep sub-micron CMOS or SiGe processes create new opportunities for high performance, low cost and low energy products.

System-on-chip designers can deliver the best solutions on these processes using our XAP® processor cores. XAP processors minimise the size of program and data memories, which is key to achieving a small die area with low cost and energy consumption, particularly when memory is embedded on-chip (SoC) or integrated in the same package (SiP).

The latest XAP processors offer advanced computing functionality at the lowest possible cost and energy consumption. They are ideal for applications such as wireless communications (e.g. Bluetooth, ZigBee, GPS, RFID, NFC), medical devices, automotive, consumer, retail, smart energy meters and industrial products. When energy is at a premium, as in battery-powered ASIC systems, then a XAP processor is the ideal choice.

XAP processor cores

A wide range of data types and program sizes are managed efficiently and economically using a choice of XAP processor IP cores. These processors provide a complete execution platform for programs, typically written in the C language, using 8, 16 or 32-bit data types with library support for longer integers and floating point data. Their modern instruction set architecture delivers high performance and industry-leading code density, thereby minimising memory size, silicon cost and energy consumption.

•            XAP4 is our 16-bit processor, which supports up to 64 kByte of memory

•            XAP5 is our 16/32-bit processor, which supports up to 16 MByte of memory

These XAP cores use a single flat memory map to simplify ASIC design with security and reliability benefits, especially when programs are in re-programmable Flash or OTP memory. Using a XAP processor will optimise an ASIC memory system for low cost and low energy, as opposed to many 8-bit or 32-bit processors that either have poor code density or require bigger registers, stacks and data RAMs.

XAP’s modern programming model offers protected software operating modes that isolate user code from privileged code for secure, deterministic, trustworthy and high-availability processing. We can engineer XAP-based solutions for medical, aerospace or defence applications where high-reliability and specialised implementations are required.

ASIC development tools

Delivering projects on schedule with reduced development risk is the goal of any semiconductor business. We support XAP with comprehensive development and debug tools so you get your project right first time:

•            xIDE is the integrated software development environment for XAP which hosts our GNU tools and the XAP build system, instruction set simulator and source-level debugger.

•            GNU tools for XAP include GCC and Binutils. We developed XAP’s C compiler in conjunction with our instruction set architecture, leveraging the global investment in GNU compiler technology and achieving excellent code density.

•            SIF is our patented high-performance debug interface that connects xIDE and other tools to XAP development hardware or the final ASIC via an intelligent SIF debug pod.

•            xEMU boards are FPGA-based prototyping platforms for XAP software development, emulation and verification.

Please download the xIDE and GNU tools to write programs and run them on the XAP4 or XAP5 instruction set simulator.

More information on XAP processors is available here.

Licensing XAP puts you in good company

Cambridge Consultants has developed XAP processors since 1994. These energy-efficient processors are now used in over a billion chips, giving licensees a proven competitive combination of low cost and high performance.