Palmchip Adds RAID Capability to Parallel ATA Core

SAN JOSE, California, July 17, 2003 - Palmchip Corporation, a pioneer in semiconductor IP and system-on-chip technology, today announced the release of the Parallel ATA host controller core with RAID technology.

The BK-3710R core is appropriate for large disk drives used in mission-critical applications that cannot tolerate system failure. RAID technology uses multiple physical disk drives to achieve redundancy by using some storage capacity available in other drives to mirror the data. If a drive failure occurs, the RAID switches automatically to the redundant disk and the change is invisible to the user.

The key features of Palmchip's BK-3710R include RAID mode 0, 1, 0+1, 3, and 5, automatic redundancy generation on writes, no redundancy checking on reads, hot swap, hot spare, software-driven array rebuild, data availability with incomplete array, and 48-bit LBAs.

"Having RAID capability integrated with the IDE/ATA core really simplified our design and eliminated the need to develop a separate RAID software module," said Jack Lin, vice president of ICP Electronics based in Taiwan. "We licensed the core from Palmchip because of their reputation as experts in the IDE/ATA technology and because of the performance advantages of an integrated RAID solution."

"The release of our parallel ATA RAID solution is another example of Palmchip's commitment to provide products that address the specific needs of our customers," said Jim Venable vice president of worldwide sales and marketing for Palmchip. "It also demonstrates our continued commitment to provide advanced products for the storage connectivity market."

In addition to RAID technology, the BK-3710R includes IDE features such as support for up to mode 4 timings on PIO mode, up to mode 2 timings on multi-word DMA, up to mode 6 timings on Ultra ATA, full scatter gather DMA capability along with 48-bit LBA support via software. The core can be configured as primary or secondary controller.
Using Palmchip's parallel ATA core with integrated RAID eliminates the need for developing a separate RAID software module in the system design. This directly translates into reduced system development time and an overall system performance boost.

Availability and Pricing

The BK-3710R can be licensed either standalone or as part of the DP-1800 PalmPak and the DP-2000 AcurX SOC Platform as a library component (P/N LC-3710R).

BK-3710R Parallel ATA core with RAID is available today. Contact Palmchip Corporation for pricing at 408-952-2008.

About Palmchip

Palmchip Corporation develops and licenses configurable SoC platforms, subsystems, and IP cores for embedded SoC's used in a variety of applications. Palmchip's IP is based on its CoreFrameÒ integration technology. This technology is independent of processor, I/O or foundry, allowing designers flexibility in porting IP from any number of sources. Palmchip was established in 1996 and is today a privately held company based in San Jose, California (USA). More information can be obtained at www.palmchip.com.

Palmchip, the palm leaf logo and CoreFrame are registered trademarks of Palmchip Corporation. AcurX, Matrix, Timing Taps, and CrosSwitch are trademark of Palmchip Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.