IBM Corp and Texas Instruments Inc have joined with Intermetrics Inc to promote the Mwave subsystem, an advanced digital signal processor technology for multimedia computing designed to enable a single subsystem to handle the processing usually done by multiple add-in boards. The three companies are disclosing an integrated signal processing environment that they say provides all the components needed by hardware designers and software developers to create computer-based multimedia products. The partners intend to promote the jointlydeveloped Mwave environment as an open standard for multimedia computing in the 1990s; Texas Instruments and Intermetrics plan to introduce the first fruits of the alliance later this year. Texas will provide the Mwave products to IBM, and market a complete system to other computer manufacturers and add-in board manufacturers. Intermetrics, meanwhile, will deliver software development tools to IBM, and market these tools to software companies and manufacturers on an OEM basis. IBM says it plans to use the Mwave subsystem across its multimedia products for audio, image, and communications. First system products are expected to appear next year.
