WORLD'S FIRST 64-BIT RISC PROCESSOR SOARS INTO SPACE
MIPS-Based Chip for Space Applications Developed By HIREC, Toshiba, NEC and Kyocera MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., March 12, 2001 MIPS Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: MIPS, MIPSB), a leading provider of industry-standard processor
architectures and cores for digital consumer and network applications, today announced that High-Reliability Components Corporation (HIREC) of Japan, under
contract with National Space Development Agency (NASDA) of Japan, has developed the first 64-bit RISC microprocessor chip for space applications.
The microprocessor chip is based on MIPS Technologies' leading 64-bit processor architecture for high-performance, low-power embedded applications.
Development of the microprocessor chip was a collaborative effort, led by HIREC, among leading technology providers. Toshiba Corporation, a licensee of the
MIPS® architecture, developed the 64-bit TX49 processor core intellectual property. NEC Corporation developed the chip's large-scale gate-array technology,
and Kyocera Corporation developed highly reliable packaging suitable for use in space.
NASDA plans to use the chip in satellite applications, beginning with the Engineering Test Satellite VIII, which will establish and verify the world's largest
geostationary satellite bus technology and the Advanced Land Observing Satellite, which will be used for cartography, regional observation, disaster monitoring and
resource surveying.
"Space applications are among the most demanding of all; performance, power, and stability all are paramount. We are, of course, delighted that HIREC
demonstrated their confidence in the MIPS architecture and chose our licensee Toshiba for this critical application," said John Bourgoin, chairman and CEO of
MIPS Technologies. "Toshiba and MIPS Technologies have a 10-year history of collaboration in the development of 32- and 64-bit high-performance processor
solutions in a variety of embedded applications, including the digital consumer and automotive markets."
"The use of MIPS-based technology in the TX49 core, incorporated into a rigorous space-based project, underscores the broad applications of the MIPS
architecture and the TX49," said Masahiko Ono, technology executive of the Semiconductor Company for Toshiba Corporation. "We expect that the core
nurtured through our joint development efforts has applications for other markets."
The features implemented by Toshiba to handle the rigors of space and ensure reliable operation include:
- MIPS instruction set
- 36-bit address bus (64-bit virtual address), 64-bit data bus
- 8KB instruction cache, 8KB data cache with 8-bit error detection & correction
- 25MHz pipeline frequency
- 50MHz external clock (a selectable feature for the bus clock rate)
- 64-bit general-purpose registers, integer unit, floating point registers, and floating point unit
- Operating voltage of 3.3V (5.0V I/O tolerance)
- Operating temperature of 40 to +85 degrees C
- 304-pin ceramic flat package
About High-Reliability Components Corp.
HIREC, founded in 1988 and headquartered in Tokyo, services Japan's space industry by developing and supplying high-quality, high-reliability components for
space applications. For more information, visit the company's Web site at http://www.hirec.co.jp/_english/index.html.
About MIPS Technologies, Inc.
MIPS Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of industry-standard processor architectures and cores for digital consumer and network applications. The company
drives the broadest architectural alliance that is delivering 32- and 64-bit embedded RISC solutions. The company licenses its intellectual property to
semiconductor companies, ASIC developers and system OEMs. MIPS Technologies, Inc. and its licensees offer the widest range of robust, scaleable processors
in standard, custom, semi-custom and application-specific products.
Licensees currently include: Alchemy Semiconductor, Inc., Altera Corporation, ATI Technologies, Inc., Atmel Corporation, Broadcom Corporation, Centillium
Communications, Inc., Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing, Ltd., Conexant Systems, Inc., empowerTel Networks, Inc. (formerly known as Lara Technology,
Inc.), ESS Technology, Inc., Gemplus International S.A., Integrated Device Technology, Inc. (IDT), inSilicon Corporation, Integrated Telecom Express, Inc.
(ITeX), LSI Logic Corporation, Macronix America, Inc., Metalink, Ltd., Micron Technology, Inc., General Instrument Corporation (acquired by Motorola, Inc.),
NEC Corporation, NeoMagic Corporation, NKK Corporation, Palmchip Corporation, Philips Semiconductors International B.V., Quantum Effect Devices, Inc.
(acquired by PMC-Sierra, Inc.), QuickLogic Corporation, Sandcraft, Inc., SiByte, Inc. (acquired by Broadcom Corporation), Sony Corporation, Synova, Inc.,
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, TeraLogic, Inc., Texas Instruments Incorporated, Toshiba Corporation and Excess Bandwidth Corporation
(acquired by Virata Corporation). Numerous companies utilize MIPS-based™ intellectual property. MIPS Technologies, Inc. is based in Mountain View, Calif.,
and can be reached at +1 (650) 567-5000 or www.mips.com.
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MIPS® is a registered trademark and MIPS-based™ is a trademark of MIPS Technologies, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective companies.
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