32-bit SPARC V8 processor

Overview

The LEON3 processor offers robust fault tolerance and performance for space and high-reliability applications, including satellites and scientific instruments.

The LEON3 is a synthesisable VHDL model of a 32-bit processor compliant with the SPARC V8 architecture. The model is highly configurable and particularly suitable for system-on-a-chip (SOC) designs.

LEON3 supports both asymmetric and symmetric multiprocessing (AMP/SMP). Up to 16 CPUs can be used in a multiprocessing configuration.

LEON3 is also available in a fault-tolerant version, the LEON3FT.

LEON3 has been certified by SPARC International as being SPARC V8 conformant. The certification was completed on May 1, 2005.

Key Features

  • SPARC V8 instruction set with V8e extensions
  • Advanced 7-stage pipelineHardware multiply, divide and MAC units
  • Hardware floating-point support
  • Separate instruction and data cache (Harvard architecture) with snooping
  • Configurable caches: 1 - 4 ways, 1 - 256 kbytes/way. Random, LRR or LRU replacement
  • Local instruction and data scratchpad RAM, 1 - 512 Kbytes
  • AMBA 2.0 AHB bus interface
  • High Performance: 1.4 DMIPS/MHz, 1.8 CoreMark/MHz (gcc -4.1.2)
  • Advanced on-chip debug support with instruction and data trace buffer
  • SPARC Reference MMU (SRMMU) with configurable TLBSymmetric Multi-processor support (SMP)
  • Power-down mode and clock gating
  • Robust and fully synchronous single-edge clock design
  • Up to 125 MHz in FPGA and 400 MHz on 0.13 um ASIC technologies
  • Fault-tolerant and SEU-proof version available for space applications
  • Extensively configurable
  • Large range of software tools: compilers, kernels, simulators and debug monitors

Benefits

  • Low cost license fee
  • Easily prototyped on low-cost FPGA boards
  • SPARC V8 conformant
  • High performance (400 MHz 0.13 ASIC, 100 MHz FPGA)
  • Low area (30 - 50 Kgates, 5 - 10,000 LUTs)

Block Diagram

32-bit SPARC V8 processor Block Diagram

Deliverables

  • Fully synthesisable VHDL code
  • VHDL test bench
  • Ducumentation
  • Synthesis scripts
  • Place&route scripts for FPGA boards
  • GNU-based Cross-compiler
  • High-performance behavioural simulator
  • Technical support

Technical Specifications

Foundry, Node
Any
Maturity
Production
Availability
Immediate
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Semiconductor IP