By Dan Jones
National Semiconductor Inc is claiming an integration breakthrough with its new Geode SC1400 chip. The company says that the x86 compatible chip – aimed at set-top, thin client and information appliance manufacturers – combines processing, encoding and multimedia streaming functions on a single die that are only available on seven or eight chip systems from other companies.
The 64-bit chip runs at clock speeds of up to 266MHz and includes a 2D graphics accelerator, MPEG2 decoder, video processor and Dolby sound support. It has a power dissipation rate of under five watts. Michael Polacek, VP of the information appliance division, said that the highly integrated chip was NatSemi’s reward for a change of design policy instigated three years ago. CEO Brian Halla standardized the chip design tools across all divisions of NatSemi so that the company had the ability to mix and match design blocks. This policy of developing reusable cores, Polacek explained, was the reason that NatSemi was able to offer the Geode SC1400.
The company has already started sampling the 0.25 micron process chips and it expects to start producing them early next year. Customers for the chip include Acer Group, Philips, Grundig and major Chinese manufacturer Legend. Polacek also said that America Online Inc is looking at using the chip in its AOL TV project. NatSemi will also be using the chip in its own portable internet and email device, the WebPAD. The pad, which is being OEMed by Tatung, is already in production. Polacek said that NatSemi expected to see six to eight major companies using the WebPAD in trials this year.
After backing out of the PC processor market with the sale of the Cyrix x86 division, reports now suggest that NatSemi may not carry on with its plan to sell its South Portland, Maine fab plant. Polacek could not confirm this, saying that the intention was to find a buyer for the plant while keeping it as a main source for its chips. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co has been mooted as a possible purchaser for the plant.
