LSI Logic Corp yesterday entered the embedded RISC microprocessor market with launch of the LR33000, based on the MIPS Computer Systems Inc R3000 RISC. Already using the device are laser printer maker QMS Inc in Mobile, Alabama; Electronics for Imaging in San Bruno, California; Tandem Computers’ Array Technology division in Boulder, Colorado; and Dataco A/S, Copenhagen, Denmark, and 16 other unidentified companies. The LR33000 was designed using LSI’s LCB007 one-micron cell-based HCMOS technology. The R3000-like core, implemented as a megacell and available on part of the LCB007 library, enables custom versions to be developed in minimal time, LSI says. The company stresses that the part was designed from the ground up for embedded control and offers it in 25MHz, 33MHz and 40MHz clock versions. The 25MHz version samples in December at $100 for 1,000-up quantities.
