TSMC offers IP cores from TriMedia

TSMC offers IP cores from TriMedia
By Semiconductor Business News
October 5, 2000 (5:04 p.m. EST)
URL: http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20001005S0038

MILPITAS, Calif.-- TriMedia Technologies Inc. here today announced a deal with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSMC) under which TriMedia's technology will be offered in the form of intellectual-property (IP) cores within TSMC's fabs..

Under the terms, TSMC will make available "hard-core" implementations of TriMedia's VLIW (very-long-instruction-word) processor cores in its 0.18-micron process technology.

The agreement initially covers TriMedia's TM32 32-bit VLIW core, which is designed for use in media-processing tasks, such as set-top boxes, digital and analog televisions, video editing systems, digital video recorders, videophones, and home networking products.

"The VLIW (very-long-instruction-word) architecture is the most silicon-area efficient high-performance architecture known to date," said Cees Hartgring, president and chief executive of TriMedia. "These advanced VLIW cores, implemented in TSMC's leading process tech nologies, will now be available to all SoC developers."