China follows Godson processors with DSP

China follows Godson processors with DSP
By Peter Clarke, Semiconductor Business News
March 18, 2003 (7:00 p.m. EST)
URL: http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20030318S0041

SHANGHAI, China --A team of chip developers at a Shanghai university have worked with an entirely local supply chain to develop a 16-bit fixed-point DSP chip in 0.18-micron CMOS manufacturing process technology.

The development follows on from disclosures about the China-developed Godson and Godson-2, 32- and 64-bit microprocessors (see March 5 story). It also serves notice that, in addition to being a major focus of electronics manufacturing, China intends to move up the value chain as quickly and cease to be dependent on companies such as Intel Corp and Texas Instruments Inc.

Researchers at Shanghai Jaiotong University have developed the Hisys eDSP21600 and had it fabricated at local foundry Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC), according to Daniel Yang, an analyst with iSuppli.

The DSP achieves a performance of 200-MIPS at 200-MHz clock frequency, according to Yang, quoting Shanghai Jaioto ng University researchers.

This is modest performance considering the process technology but of as much significance is that the Hisys DSP was completed entirely using a local an indigenously owned supply chain.

The chip was developed by university researchers, manufactured by SMIC, packaged by Global Advanced Packaging Technology (Shanghai) Ltd. and tested by Shanghai IC Design Research Center, Yang said. Verisilicon Microelectronics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. provided a standard cell library service to help the researchers get the chip made.

Yang quotes a fellow researcher, Jay Srivatsa, principal analyst with iSuppli, saying that with Chinese OEMs taking on a more prominent role in the worldwide market for wireless and consumer electronics, "the Hisys DSP could attain a reasonably good market share in years to come."

Srivatsa said much would depend on the software and development tool support that could be provided for Hisys. Texas Instruments Inc., Analog Devices Inc. and Motorola Inc. have c omplemented their DSPs with optimized software routines for many years.

"It would behoove Hisys to concentrate on the low-end market for DSP chips rather than compete head-to-head with TI and other experienced companies in all areas of the market," Yang quoted Srivatsa saying.