Hitachi, Triscend ink deal to co-develop configurable RISC processors

Hitachi, Triscend ink deal to co-develop configurable RISC processors
By Semiconductor Business News
January 23, 2001 (9:58 a.m. EST)
URL: http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20010122S0053

TOKYO -- Japan's Hitachi Ltd. has announced plans to enter the configurable RISC chip market as part a product development alliance with Triscend Corp.

Under the terms, Hitachi will integrate Triscend's configurable chip technology across its SuperH line of 32-bit RISC processors. In addition, Hitachi will gain access to Triscend's configurable FastChip software, intellectual-property (IP) cores, and third-party EDA tools.

The configurable SuperH-based devices, to complement Hitachi's existing SuperH chips, are geared for advanced communications and other applications, according to officials from Hitachi.

"Triscend provides us with leading edge [configurable system-on-a-chip] technology that will enhance the leadership position of the SuperH among RISC processors worldwide," said Kunio Hasegawa, executive vice president of semiconductor and integrated circuits of Tokyo-based Hitachi.

"Combining our SuperH architecture with Triscend's p latform will result in shorter development time and lower development costs for end systems," he said.

Hitachi's configurable SuperH-based devices will also expand Triscend's existing 8051- and ARM7-based platforms, giving designers a richer choice of processors for off-the-shelf system-on-a-chip solutions, said Stanley Yang, president and chief executive of Mountain View, Calif.-based Triscend.

Triscend's platform consists of several parts, including the CSI (Configurable System Interconnect) bus, the CSL (Configurable System Logic) embedded programmable logic matrix, and the CSI socket. The CSI bus is a processor-independent, scalable technology, which is designed for various applications.

Hitachi's first configurable SuperH-based devices will be available in 2002.