NuFront Software Picks Tensilica's Xtensa Configurable Processor for DSP in China's Mobile TV Handsets

Plans to Optimize Processor for Best Performance

SANTA CLARA, CA, –October 19, 2006 – Tensilica, Inc. today announced that NuFront Software of Beijing, China, is designing a complex system-on-chip (SOC) using Tensilica’s Xtensa configurable processor. NuFront is a leading design firm specializing in SOC designs for China’s digital television products. They are developing a baseband DSP (digital signal processor) for China’s Mobile TV handset standard, and are using the Xtensa processor because they can optimize it for the performance they need.

"Tensilica’s Xtensa processor was very attractive for our next design because standard processor cores couldn’t give us the performance we needed,” stated Hamilton Yong, COO, NuFront Software. “The only way to get the performance was to be able to optimize the processor, and Tensilica is the only company with the automated tools to make that customization much easier and ensure our success.”

"The move to a Mobile TV standard in China could represent a major change in handset baseband processor design as well as a potential shake-up in the conventional architecture of the handsets,” stated Steve Roddy, Tensilica’s vice president of marketing. “NuFront’s engineers are up for this challenge and have quickly embraced the power of the Xtensa processor architecture with its automated process for adding custom instructions to the processor.”

Tensilica’s Xtensa processors are configurable, extensible and synthesizable. Using automated Xtensa technology, the system designer molds the processor to fit the application by selecting and configuring predefined elements of the architecture and by inventing completely new TIE instructions and hardware execution units that can deliver performance levels orders of magnitude faster than alternative solutions.

Tensilica offers the broadest line of controller, CPU and specialty DSP processors on the market today, in both an off-the-shelf format via the Diamond Standard Series cores and with full designer configurability with the Xtensa processor family. Tensilica’s low-power, benchmark proven processors have been designed into high-volume products at industry leaders in the digital consumer, networking and telecommunications markets. All Tensilica processor cores are complete with a matching software development tool environment, portfolio of system simulation models, and hardware implementation tool support. For more information on Tensilica's patented approach to the creation of application-specific building blocks for SOC design, visit www.tensilica.com.