New design
service provides access to advanced DSP technology
for software radio applications
Next-generation wireless demands more compute
power — service supports adoption of multi-core
DSP platform
Cambridge Consultants has
become the first authorised design centre for picoChip's
multi-core digital signal processor (DSP), picoArray.
picoArray devices incorporate arrays of DSP elements,
delivering extremely high performance. This makes
them ideal for the computationally-intensive tasks
involved in advanced wireless signal processing, while
also providing adaptability that can be employed to
accommodate operational problems such as varying channel
conditions, or changes in the service profile of the
communications system. The devices are available in
forms suitable for both infrastructure and user terminal
applications, offering a powerful platform to develop
products for emerging global wireless communications
markets such as WiMAX and 4G.
Cambridge Consultants offers considerable design experience
of the device gained on complex design projects undertaken
for picoChip and third parties, plus a large design
team that is active across the spectrum of wireless
technologies.
"Cambridge Consultants has field-proven expertise
with picoArray, which includes helping us to create
sophisticated reference designs," says Rupert
Baines of picoChip. "Our architecture offers
a platform that can reduce costs and improve flexibility
in many emerging applications, and Cambridge Consultants
undoubtedly has the expertise to cut time-to-market
for new users. We are delighted to welcome them as
our first authorised design centre."
"The ability to dynamically configure DSP elements
for application-specific computation, and parallel
processing, makes picoArray an exceptionally powerful
solution for the complex processing stages involved
in applications such as WiMAX and 3.5/4G," notes
Cambridge Consultants' Tim Fowler. "Our understanding
of the ways to exploit this processing architecture,
combined with our in-house software radio modelling
and testing framework, allows us to provide expert
support that can help define system architectures
and shorten development projects."
He adds: "picoChip's existing reference designs
and tools provide a simple to apply solution for major
emerging applications. This service targets developers
who wish to add value, or create entirely new product
concepts."
The very high performance and flexibility of picoArray
devices opens up many applications in wireless communications,
particularly in the evolution of major wireless system
technologies such as 3G and WiMAX. Developers are
continually striving to squeeze more and more capacity
from the available radio spectrum. Among many new
advances being considered to increase the capacity
and quality of next-generation wireless communications
systems are advanced data modulation techniques, air
interfaces employing multiple antennas and beam-forming
techniques, and multi-user detection. Techniques like
these demand new levels of processing power, usually
combined with a high degree of flexibility and reconfiguration
— attributes that are at the heart of the picoArray's
multi-processor architecture with its reconfigurable-datapath.
picoArray's programmable processing elements are optimized
for high-performance signal processing, delivering
ten times better performance/dollar than legacy architectures.
The picoArray may be configured dynamically for compute-intensive
datapath operations such as filtering, FFT, path metric
calculation and correlation. Devices also have enormous
amounts of general-purpose MIPs to handle the ever
more complex control operations of modern wireless
systems.
About Cambridge Consultants
Cambridge Consultants develops
breakthrough products, creates and licenses intellectual
property, and provides business consultancy in technology
critical issues for clients worldwide. For nearly
50 years, the company has enabled its clients to turn
business opportunities into commercial successes,
whether launching first-to-market products, entering
new markets or expanding existing markets through
the introduction of new technologies. With a
team of over 250 engineers, designers, scientists
and consultants, in offices in Cambridge (UK) and
Boston (USA), Cambridge Consultants offers solutions
across a diverse range of industries including medical
technology, industrial and consumer products, automotive,
transport, energy and wireless communications. For
more information visit: http://www.CambridgeConsultants.com
Cambridge Consultants is part
of the Altran group of companies. Altran Technologie,
which is listed on the Paris Stock Exchange (FR:003463),
employs over 17,000 consultants in 20 countries around
the world. In 2006 the group generated a turnover
of €1,495.6 million. For more information visit:
www.altran.com
