ARC International Releases EEMBC®'s Telecom Benchmark Study

DSP-Extended ARCtangent™-A4 Processor Shows 40x Performance Increase on Optimization for Telecom Benchmarks

San Jose, CA. April 30, 2002 - ARC International (LSE: ARK), a leader in user-customizable processors, released the results of the Embedded Microprocessor Benchmark Consortium (EEMBC) telecom benchmark tests on its ARCtangent-A4 processor. EEMBC's telecom benchmark suite measures the speed at which processors handle such tasks as auto correlation (AC), convolution encoding (CE), bit allocation (BA), Fast Fourier transform (FFT) and Viterbi decoding (ACS64). The results show that the optimized ARCtangent-A4 was more than 9% faster than its nearest competitor (a RISC/DSP microprocessor solution), (see Figure 1).
 

Telecom Processor	Type	Clock Speed	TeleMARK™
Company A	Full Fury	136 MHz	225.8
ARCtangent-A4	Full Fury	200 MHz	93.7
Company B	Full Fury	200 MHz	85.7
Company C	Full Fury	300 MHz	68.5

Figure 1:Full Fury Results Comparison
 

EEMBC benchmarks allow two sets of data to be presented for each benchmark: 'Out of the box', meaning compiled 'C' with no code modifications allowed, and 'Full Fury', where any optimization that can be done by a developer/customer is allowed, so long as the fundamental benchmark is still performed. Optimized scores for the ARCtangent-A4 showed a 40X improvement over its out-of-the-box scores. Details on how the ARCtangent-A4 was modified are presented in the following table.
 

TELECOM CONFIGURATION	ARCtangent™-A4
Gate Count	57K processor gates, 23K gates of XY memory controllers, 40K custom instruction gates
I-cache configuration	1kB 2Way
D-cache configuration	8kB 1Way
Processor configuration	1kB XY memory, barrel shifter, min/max, norm, swap, 32-bit MUL, 16-bit MAC, 32kB LD/ST RAM
Custom instructions	Custom instructions BA, AC, ACS64 (viterbi) FFT, CE

Figure 2: Full Fury Configuration of the ARCtangent-A4 processor
 

"Telecom applications are an example of where a high performance processor like the DSP-enabled ARCtangent-A4 can be used to great effect," said Farzad Zarrinfar, senior vice-president marketing and business development, ARC International. "We are making the results of our benchmarked scores available to show that the performance numbers can be reproduced by the customer. Additionally, if you look at the amount of code involved in optimizing the core, the ARCtangent-A4 wins hands down against the competition (see figure 3) These results demonstrate that the ARCtangent processor is ideal for high performance applications like telecom."

Figure 3: EEMBC Telecom FF Code Size (Bytes) Results

"The EEMBC scores for the ARCtangent-A4 provide further testimony to the advantages of configurable architectures, and demonstrate in particular how these architectures allow users to fine-tune a processor's performance for real-world applications," said Markus Levy, EEMBC president. "By using an industry-standard method to prove this capability, ARC has made the case for configurable architectures with a high level of credibility." Complete benchmark data on all EEMBC certified processors may be obtained by visiting the EEMBC website, www.eembc.org. Specific information about the ARCtangent products can be obtained from the ARC website, www.ARC.com.

About ARC International

ARC International is a leading developer of user-customizable, high-performance 32-bit RISC/DSP processor cores (including ARCtangent™), with integrated development tools, peripherals and software. Its integrated intellectual property solutions assist customers in rapidly developing next generation wireless, networking and consumer electronics products, reducing time to market for system-on-chip products. Products based on ARC's technology include digital still cameras, set-top boxes, and network processors.

ARC International employs over 200 people in research and development, sales, and marketing offices across North America, Europe and Israel, with key offices in Elstree (England) and San Jose (CA, USA). Full details of the company's locations and other information are on the company's web site, http://www.ARC.com. ARC International is listed on the London Stock Exchange as ARC International plc (LSE:ARK).

About EEMBC

EEMBC, the Embedded Microprocessor Benchmark Consortium, develops and certifies real-world benchmarks and benchmark scores to help designers select the right embedded processors for their systems. Every processor submitted for EEMBC® benchmarking is tested for parameters representing different workloads and capabilities in communications, networking, consumer, office automation, automotive/industrial, embedded Java, and microcontroller-related applications. With members including leading semiconductor, intellectual property, and compiler companies, EEMBC establishes benchmark standards and provides certified benchmarking results through the EEMBC Certification Labs (ECL) in Texas and California.

Statements made in this press release that are not historical facts include forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ from those indicated by such forward-looking statements include, among others, market acceptance of the ARC technology; fluctuations in and unpredictability of the Company's quarterly results; general economic and business conditions; regulatory policies adopted by governmental authorities; assumptions regarding the Company's future business strategy; changes in technology; competition; ability to attract and retain qualified personnel; risks associated with the Company's international operations; and other uncertainties that are discussed in the "Investment Considerations" section of the Company's listing particulars dated 28 September 2000 filed with the United Kingdom Listing Authority and the Registrar of Companies in England and Wales.

ARC, the ARC logo, and ARCtangent, are trademarks of ARC International. All other brands or product names are the property of their respective holders.