Intel Corp is now supporting 100MHz SDRAM memory on its embedded StrongARM via a couple of iterations, SA-1110 and SA-1111 as it has for its other microprocessor families. It enables vendors to build devices with twice the amount of memory bandwidth. They supersede the SA-1100 and SA-1101 companion chip which support 50MHz memories. Intel has also wound up the clock to 206MHz from 191MHz, although that’s not big deal, the company claims. Like the SA-1101, the SA-1111 I/O chip has been co-developed with LinkUp and other partners.
The ARM V4-compatible part will include a second engine, a multimedia processor in the second half of this year as the SA- 1500, destined for MPEG processing set-top boxes. SA-2 and SA-3 generations are on track. SA-2 specs will be revealed at next months embedded processor show. Intel’s Austin, Texas-based design team has taken over the development plan StrongARM’s previous owner, Digital Equipment Corp, had put in place, although Intel has doubled the investment DEC had committed to it. Former DEC employees working on StrongARM claim that customers which had walked to the other side of the road when DEC announced plans to sell the chip to Intel are coming back in droves.
