Advanced Micro Devices has signed Ready System Inc, Palo Alto, California to implement a version of the VRTX32 real-time operating system kernel to its new Am29000 RISC microprocessor. Ready Systems, formerly Hunter & Ready, will also offer its RTscope multitasking debugger and its VRTX32 system monitor. The companies look for the hardware-software combination to find customers for real-time embedded applications such as communications, network controllers, laser printer controllers, robotics, factory automation, and military and aerospace applications. The Am29000 is rated at a sustained 17 MIPS with a peak of 25 MIPs. VRTX32 will add more than 30 directives to the Am29000 instruction set to perform essential real-time control functions such as task and event flag management, intertask synchronisation and communication, dynamic memory allocation, counting semaphores, efficient time-slicing and real-time clock control. Software and chip are set for second quarter 1988.
