Palmchip Stimulates Economic Recovery by Offering Free Semiconductor IP Cores

• Wide range of free Palmchip semiconductor IP cores supports design innovations for mobile devices
• New AcurX-51 Platform with free 8051 core available for implementing IP

Santa Clara, California -- June 2, 2009 – Palmchip® Corporation, a leader in SoC platforms for implementing mobile device designs today announced the launch of their “SoCStart” IP Program providing free semiconductor IP cores. Palmchip developed this program to help increase SoC and ASIC design starts during these difficult economic times. The company is also announcing the AcurX-51™, a SoC platform with integrated 8051 core. Designers can use this SoC platform to quickly start their SoC chip project. AcurX-51 is ported into Xilinx FPGA for rapid firmware and software development.

“By enabling design starts through the offer of free cores, we hope that new semiconductor projects will develop and that this success will ripple through the supply chain. If this program helps one struggling startup or saves the job of one engineer, then we have succeeded,” said JauherZaidi, Palmchip CEO and president.

“The Palmchip SoCStart program and AcurX platform providing “free” access to IP and a platform is a creative approach to a problem that is plaguing the industry – the dramatic rise in design costs for SoCs at every new process geometry,” said Richard Wawrzyniak, Semico Research senior analyst. “While conducting recent in-depth research on SoC costs, time in development and complexity, we have found that platform development and third-party IP can provide a significant time and cost advantage for many designers while supporting design reuse for derivative designs.  This is a tremendous market advantage for companies who commit in a platform approach.”

SoCStart Program Details

Through the SoCStart program, engineers can get access to IP cores in RTL format for a one-time royalty and license free use. The company will provide email support. Customers who are interested in implementing designs through a tested, plug-in-ready SoC platform, please see Palmchip’s AcurX^TM series of mobile platforms at www.acurx-soc.com

Following is a list of the most popular cores available through SoCStart. For a complete listing, please go to www.socstart.com.   

• AcurX-Lite™ SoC Platform
• AES
• DES
• HASH
• CE-ATA Host and Device Core

For a complete listing of the more than 18 cores available in the SoCStart IP Program, please go to www.palmchip.com and sign up for your free core today.

About AcurX

Palmchip has three configurable SoC platform architectures and all platforms include peripheral functions.  The new AcurX-51™ platform includes a free 8051 processor.  The original AcurX and AcurX-Lite™ platform are deliver processor independent and support MIPS, ARC, ARM and Tensilica embedded processor cores.  These platforms combined with high value IP selections from Palmchip allow easy, efficient implementation of customers’ designs.  These SoC platforms have delivered successful, high volume mobile device products like, mobile phone, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth, Zigbee, DVD players, HDD, SSD, NAS and Photo Frames.

About Palmchip Corporation

Founded in 1996, Palmchip is a leader in system-on-chip platforms and IP cores for mobile devices, embedded software and software applications. In addition to our proven IP cores, Palmchip provides the AcurX series of Plug-in-Ready Mobile SoC Platforms for low-power, high-performance designs. Palmchip technologies can be found on the market today in many mobile applications such as WiFi, network security, Bluetooth, Zigbee, data storage HDD, DVD devices and more. Palmchip also provides mobile design outsourcing services from concept to product. Please visit www.palmchip.com for more information.