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New
tools accelerate software development
for XAP3 32-bit RISC core
* GCC
compilers and RTOSs provide
flexible support for large-scale
embedded projects
 Cambridge
Consultants has announced powerful
new development tools for its
royalty-free 32-bit RISC processor
core for ASIC and FPGA applications,
XAP3. The tools include the
widely-used GCC (Gnu Compiler
Collection) C/C++ compiler,
and the uCLinux and Micrium
µC/OS-II real-time operating
systems, and will provide exceptionally
powerful and flexible support
for embedded system applications.
The new software is in addition
to Cambridge Consultants' own
ANSI C compiler for XAP3, which
optimises application code density
to achieve significant memory
cost savings.
The XAP3 soft core features
a classic Von Neumann architecture
allowing code and data to be
freely mixed within a flat 4Gbyte
memory space. There is hardware
support for position independent
code, and secure operation through
privileged modes that prevent
user programs from corrupting
the operating system kernel.
The core is available in Verilog
RTL for ASIC use, and can be
fabricated in 50,000 gates running
at 100 MHz, or as few as 40,000
gates at lower clock frequencies.
It delivers a typical performance
of 0.88 Dhrystone MIPS/MHz.
Combined with its high code
density, this lean core offers
an economic and power-efficient
solution for deeply-embedded
applications.
The porting of the Gnu Compiler
Collection adds an industry-standard
C programming environment to
XAP3, as well as support for
extra languages such as C++
and Java. Cambridge Consultants
is also in the process of porting
both the Micrium µC/OS-II
- which will be released commercially
in July 2005 - and uCLinux onto
XAP3. These will provide development
teams with powerful and economic
real-time operating system support
for projects.
"The 32-bit XAP3 core was
designed to provide OEMs with
an optimised platform for the
increasing number of embedded
systems that need to run a real
time operating system with wired
or wireless communications protocol
stacks. It is both lean and
efficient, yet offers a very
large memory addressing range
with unaligned memory support
that will handle the most complex
embedded system software requirements",
says Alistair Morfey of Cambridge
Consultants.
"These tools provide versatile
support for large design projects,
making it simple and quick to
deliver sophisticated products
utilising hundreds of man-years
of software, incorporating components
that are easily ported from
third party source code",
he adds.
In addition to the new tools,
XAP3 is available with an integrated
programming and development
environment called xIDE for
XAP3, comprising a compiler,
linker, simulator, debugger
and target hardware link. XAP3
developers also have access
to Cambridge Consultants’
patented SIF (serial interface)
debug logic and interface, which
provides non-invasive data acquisition
and event monitoring for real-time
networked and remote debugging.
Cambridge Consultants is detailing
the architecture of its new
core at the Spring Processor
Forum (17th May 2005, San Jose,
California): 'XAP3: A New 32-Bit
Processor Core with High Code
Density' presented by Alistair
Morfey, Technology Director,
Cambridge Consultants.
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