LSI has added the multicore-capable PowerPC 476 microprocessor core and high-speed, embedded DRAM memory blocks to its portfolio of custom silicon intellectual property (IP).
The company said that the new processor core and memory blocks are designed to enhance the development of networking and storage SoCs used in applications such as switches, routers, RAID storage, servers and base stations.
According to LSI, the new PowerPC 476FP offering available on the TSMC 40G process, operates at clock speeds in excess of 1.4GHz, delivering 2.5 Dhrystone MIPS per MHz. The new embedded DRAM block operates at up to 500MHz, which is essential for real-time video processing and high-bandwidth networking applications.
The company claims that it minimises the custom IC development cost and risk by providing OEMs with an IP portfolio that includes general- and special-purpose processors, protocol cores, a gigabit ethernet PHY, serializer-deserializers (SerDes) and embedded memory.
Sudhakar Sabada, senior vice president and general manager of custom silicon division at LSI, said: Next-generation networking and storage infrastructures need highly integrated SoCs to meet ever-increasing market demands. With a rich portfolio of silicon-proven IP and a robust design flow, LSI helps customers predictably build application-optimized SoCs that allow them to differentiate in the marketplace.
