Infineon's DSP core swap shop

Infineon's DSP core swap shop
By Dickon Ross, EE Times UK
June 24, 2002 (5:00 a.m. EST)
URL: http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20020621S0024

Infineon Technologies is giving up its Carmel DSP core to focus on a new open architecture design in a joint venture with Motorola and Agere Systems.

The company, StarCore LLC, builds on the StarCore Joint Design Center set up by Motorola and Agere in 1998. It will now embrace the 60-strong staff at Infineon's design centre in Tel Aviv, reporting to a headquarters in Austin, Texas.

An Infineon spokesman said: "With this company, we're entering a new business model for DSPs. StarCore will offer open licences.

"So far, most companies have developed their own architecture for DSPs, as we have done with Carmel. Carmel will be phased out and we will use the StarCore for future products."

From late summer, the joint venture will develop, market and license its technology for use in applications ranging from voice recognition to video compression.

The new company's CEO is Thomas Lantzsch, who joins from Motorola's Semiconduc tor Products Sector.