New Texas Instruments TMS320C642x DSPs Deliver More Than 2.5X

New Texas Instruments TMS320C642x DSPs Deliver More Than 2.5X

March 13, 2007

Price/Performance Improvement for Telecom and Networked DSP
Applications 
-- TI Announces Sampling of TMS320C6424 and TMS320C6421
DSPs Which
   Lower Cost per Channel for Converged Voice, Video and
Data
   Solutions in Telecom IP-PBX, VoIP Media Gateway and VoIP
Router
   Products


    Houston, March 13 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Texas
Instruments Incorporated (TI) (NYSE: TXN) today announced
the immediate availability of samples of two new digital
signal processors (DSPs) - the TMS320C6424 DSP and the
TMS320C6421 DSP - that deliver more than 2.5X
price/performance improvement, helping OEMs lower overall
cost per channel of telecom enterprise gateway and IP-PBX
products. Additional applications that are well-suited for
the C642x DSPs include printers, scanners, copiers and
wireless applications such as pico base stations, home
gateways and wireless entertainment devices. TI's new C642x
DSPs start at only $8.95 in 10 Ku quantities. Leveraging an
effective combination of integrated peripherals, on-chip
memory and high performance, the C642x DSPs address
customers' needs to reduce overall system costs and improve
performance in telecom and networked DSP applications. The
devices are 100 percent upward code-compatible with
existing TMS320C6000TM DSPs and can be programmed utilizing
the TI¡äs proven eXpressDSP(TM) software that supports open
source and third party software. The processors are
supported by new C6424 DSP evaluation module (EVM) and
development tools, helping to simplify system development
and encourage innovation.  For more information, please
visit http://www.ti.com/c6424pr .

    (Logo:
http://www.xprn.com.cn/xprn/sa/20061107170439-20.jpg )

    The C642x DSPs provide high DSP performance at an
affordable price. Based on the TMS320C64x+(TM) DSP core,
the performance of the C6424 DSP and C6421 DSP peaks at
4800 MMACs at 600 MHz. Powerful I/O capabilities are
enabled by the EDMA 3.0 with 4.8 GB/s throughput and the
333 MHz DDR2 memory interface. The C6421 DSP at 400 MHz is
the lowest cost C64x DSP, and is pin for pin compatible
with other C642x DSPs allowing scalability in performance,
feature set and price. The on-chip Ethernet MAC reduces the
bill of materials (BOM) for networked DSP applications. The
large on-chip memory further reduces BOM cost by reducing
the need for external memory. The C6424 and C6421 DSPs
deliver a 1.6X to 2X boost in raw DSP processing power
(e.g. peak 16-bit MMACs), and with a 50 percent price
reduction, enable more than a 2.5X price/performance
improvement over previous generation DSPs.  

    Key Third Parties Leverage High Integration of New DSPs

 
    To better address the exploding voice and video over IP
(VoIP) market, TI has teamed with Surf Communication
Solutions, Ltd. (Surf) to provide ready-made telecom cards
and a development support system that significantly reduces
time-to-market and development risk. The SurfExpress/PCIeTM
and SurfRider/AMCTM are Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS)
media processing platforms based on TI C6000(TM) DSPs.
These popular platforms have been pre-integrated with
leading manufacturers' ATCA and MicroTCA systems. Both the
SurfExpress/PCIe and SurfRider/AMC feature the
SurfDockerTM, a modular plug-in that carries pairs of mixed
types of DSPs, including C642x products, and supports a
variety of configurations to meet telecom requirements. The
built-in flexibility of the development tools make it
possible to begin designing new systems without committing
to the specific serial interfaces, the number of DSPs per
board needed to achieve the required channel density and
the types of DSPs to be integrated into the final board or
the customer's production system. Surf also offers
chip-level solutions based on the C642x DSPs that come with
a complete multimedia processing package for telecom
applications. Additionally, Surf software supports Video
Transcode/Transrate (H.263/MPEG 4/H.264) on C642x.

    "TI's new C642x DSPs with higher performance and
I/O bandwidth fit perfectly to the triple-play
(voice/video/data) convergence model," stated Avi
Fisher, chief technology officer of Surf Communication
Solutions. "The C6424 DSP enables Surf to reduce the
price per channel by 50 percent and support densities of up
to 60 voice over IP ports or 16 video over IP ports. This
makes the C6424 DSP an ideal solution for scalable
enterprise gateway applications because it allows
simultaneous processing of all these transmission types on
the same DSP at the lowest cost per channel."

    Also, Adaptive Digital Technologies is announcing the
G.PAK software suite for C642x DSPs. "The C6424 is the
DSP that many of our customers need in order make
feature-rich, cost-effective, competitive products. The
C6424 offers plenty of performance and has the right set of
peripherals for telecom applications, all at a
market-enabling price. Based upon the enormous amount of
early interest in this device, we have made a strategic
decision to focus heavily on the C6424 DSP by porting our
entire G.PAK application to it. If there were ever a good
reason to put a few extra eggs in a single basket, the
C6424 DSP is that basket," said Scott Kurtz, VP
Engineering, Adaptive Digital Technologies, Inc.

    Both new DSPs are available in 400, 500 and 600 MHz
speeds. The C6421 DSP provides 16 KB of L1D and 16 KB of
L1P and 64 KB of L2 SRAM cache for a total of 96 KB. The
C6421 DSP also includes two EMIF interfaces, a 16-bit 266
MHz DDR2 and an 8-bit EMIFA, and a VLYNQ and McBSP and
McASP interface. The C6424 DSP features 80 KB of L1D, 32 KB
of L1P, and 128 KB of L2 SRAM cache for a total of 240 KB.
The C6424 includes a 32-bit 333 MHz DDR2 and a 16-bit
EMIFA, a PCI 33 MHz or VLYNQ interface for an optional FPGA
interface and two McBSP or a McASP interface. The C6424 and
C6421 DSPs also feature an EMAC (RMII/MII) or HPI / RMII,
two UARTs, I2C, GPIO, three PWM and two 64b-timers. The two
chips are pin compatible with each other so they can easily
be swapped out to increase performance or reduce cost. Both
new DSPs are available in two sizes, a 16 mm by 16 mm, the
smallest package size ever offered for a C64x DSP, and a 23
mm by 23 mm ball grid array (BGA) package at 0.8 mm pitch
and 1.0 mm pitch respectively. 

    The C6424 EVM, priced at $495, is available today and
offers exceptional value, containing all necessary
development tools, software and more. In addition to Code
Composer Studio(TM) IDE, DSP/BIOS(TM) kernel, Chip Support
Library (CSL) and audio codecs, the EVM also includes
VirtualLogix's uCLinux. TI is continuing its
multi-operating system (OS) offering for DSPs by providing
the field proven DSP/BIOS kernel and uCLinux for no
additional charge. Developers can choose the OS of their
choice, and if they require a hybrid combination of both,
VitrualLogix also offers VLX software that enables DSP/BIOS
kernel and its applications to run concurrently with uCLinux
and its applications on a single DSP. This is an effective
RISC replacement option; the performance of the DSP allows
real-time DSP tasks with uCLinux applications like the
network stack. The EVM also includes TI's TCP/IP Network
Developer's Kit (NDK), which is an easy-to-use development
environment for integrating TI's TCP/IP stack with DSP
applications. In today's competitive environment, TI wants
to accelerate customer time to market and the new
TMDSEVM6424 Evaluation Module helps make this happen.

    "The new C6424 and C6421 DSPs will be critical
enablers in the emerging market of networked DSP
applications," said Gerard Andrews, C642x DSP
marketing manager for Texas Instruments. "With ability
to process voice, video, and data with ease and with native
networking capabilities, these new DSPs will be a natural
choice for OEMs building new innovative DSP-based devices
that connect to the IP network."  TI complements the
C6424 DSP with its high-performance analog portfolio
including high-speed data converters and power management
products, such as the TPS40K DC/DC controllers and TPS730xx
family of low-dropout (LDO), low-power linear voltage
regulators. For ATCA and MicroTCA applications, TI offers
comprehensive power management solutions as well as M-LVDS
interface devices for synchronous clocking.

    Availability and Pricing

    The TMS320C6424 and TMS320C6421 DSPs are available now
in sample quantities and will be available in production
quantities in the fourth quarter of 2007. The C6424 DSP is
priced at $15.95 for 400 MHz, $19.95 for 500 MHz and $24.95
for 600 MHz parts. Pricing for the C6421 DSP is $8.95 for
400 MHz, $11.95 for 500 MHz and $16.95 for 600 MHz parts.
Bundled products comprised of Surf software and TI C642x
DSPs are available now; C6424SURFVDZWT6 at $30.36 includes
the voice and video software bundle with a TMS320C6424 600
MHz DSP, and C6421SURFVOZWT4 at $12.35 includes the voice
software bundle with TMS320C6421 400 MHz DSP.  Additional
TI and Surf bundled combinations are available and pricing
is based on 10 Ku quantities, direct from TI.  The
TMDSEVM6424 is priced at $495. For more information, please
visit http://www.ti.com/c6424pr . 

    About TI

    Texas Instruments Incorporated provides innovative DSP
and analog technologies to meet our customers' real-world
signal processing requirements.  In addition to
Semiconductors, the company's businesses include Sensors
& Controls, and Educational & Productivity
Solutions.  TI is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and has
manufacturing, design or sales operations in more than 25
countries.
 
    Texas Instruments is traded on the New York Stock
Exchange under the symbol TXN.  More information is located
on the World Wide Web at http://www.ti.com .

    Trademarks

    TMS320C6000, C6000, TMS320C64x+, Code Composer Studio,
DSP/BIOS and eXpressDSP are trademarks of Texas
Instruments.  All other trademarks and registered
trademarks are the property of their respective owners.


    For more information, please contact:

    Media Contacts:

     Tim Frost
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     Email: [e-mail] 

     Helen Tso
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