Lexra offers low-power RISC core for consumer applications

Lexra offers low-power RISC core for consumer applications
By Semiconductor Business News
October 3, 2000 (2:48 p.m. EST)
URL: http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20001003S0068

SAN JOSE - Lexra Inc. here introduced a new line of RISC chip cores designed for use in low-power, consumer-electronics applications, such as PDAs, MP3 players, Web-enabled digital cameras, and other products.

Based on a RISC chip architecture from MIPS Technologies Inc., the new LX5180 RISC-DSP core from Lexra consumes 40% less power than competitive devices on the market, including ARM Ltd.'s ARM9E product.

"With the LX5180, we have broken ARM's claim as the low-power CPU IP core supplier," said Charlie Cheng, Lexra's president and chief executive.

The power dissipation of the LX5180 varies between 0.3-mW below 50-MHz to 0.5-mW at 180-MHz. In performance tests, Lexra reported that the LX5180 used only 20 MIPS of its total 150 MIPS performance to perform a voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) protocol function based on a G.723.1 full-duplex codec algorithm.

For Lexra's Smooth Core licensees, the clock buffers and the power supply have been optimized to conserve power dissipation. In addition, Lexra provides a complete suite of development tools from GreenHill Systems, Embedded Performance, and Calast. Development tools include a C compiler, assembler, debugger, In-Circuit Emulator (ICE), and a cycle accurate simulator.

Lexra will begin sampling in the third quarter of this year, with production slated by year's end. The RTL version of the LX5180 is priced at $425,000 per project.