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This month:
New ADI Processor Combines High Speed, Low PowerLast month Analog Devices announced its newest DSP, the ADSP-BFD01. According to ADI, the new chip offers both the highest speed and the lowest power consumption of any mainstream DSP. To achieve these seemingly opposed performance goals, ADI has introduced a novel technology called “Heatfin.” This technology takes advantage of the fact that much of the electrical energy supplied to a processor is converted to heat. ADI contends that its competitors are mistaken in trying to minimize this “wasted” heat because this heat itself is actually a plentiful source of energy. To reclaim this energy, the ’BFD01 is capped by a miniature steam engine. As the chip heats up, the excess heat powers the steam engine. The engine then drives a micro-generator that supplies a portion of the chip’s supply voltage. “With this breakthrough technology we have a choice,” said James Watt, manager of ADI’s power-management program. “We can supply a very low voltage and let the turbine make up the difference, or we use the turbine’s contribution to push up operating voltage, which allows us to raise the clock rate, which produces more heat, which drive the turbines harder, which allows us to generate higher voltages, which allows us to step up the clock rate again, and so on.” According to ADI, it will be a long time before its competitors can duplicate its “Heatfin” technology. Robert Sterling, lead engineer for ADI’s power-management program, said development of the ’BFD01 involved enormous amounts of trial and error at its Scotland lab. “Without giving away too many details, let me just say that the addition of the governor was critical to our success.” Mr. Sterling also claims that ADI’s sophisticated development process has given it a crucial edge in micro-machining. “You have no idea how hard it is to fabricate a steam valve in 0.13 µm technology,” Mr. Sterling said.
According to ADI, the ’BFD01 has been sampling to lead customers since
1816. The 1,200 RPM version of the ’BFD01 is priced at 12 pounds
sterling ($18) in quantities of 10,000. Motorola spokesman Thomas
Newcomen, asked for comment on this new competitive threat, replied
“As usual, ADI is blowing smoke.”
New TI Compiler Enhances Code SizeLast month, TI announced new versions of its compilers that, according to TI, address the often-taboo subject of code size. “Engineers often spend all their time worrying about performance, thinking that code size doesn’t matter,” said Francis Ruth, Ph.D., head of TI’s compiler group. “Well, they’re wrong. Size does matter.” Dr. Ruth points out that code size is related to power consumption, for example, so code size determines battery life. “People expect enormous endurance from today’s cell phones, but if you ignore code size it just won’t last all night,” observed Dr. Ruth. TI claims that its compiler is more reliable than competing tools for enhancing code size. According to TI, its new compiler technology is based on so-called “natural algorithms” that can enormously enhance code size without damaging functionality. “TI’s complier enhances code size the safe, natural way,” said Dr. Ruth.
TI says it has already begun notifying potential customers about its
compiler through a mass emailing. TI says it recognizes that code
size can be a sensitive topic, so the compiler will be shipped in a
plain brown wrapper with no return address. According to TI, this
will allow customers to use its tool with complete confidence in their
own homes or offices.
Impulse Response, by Jeff Bier
Where Did the Sand Go?The semiconductor industry has a dirty secret. While the IT revolution brought a welcome proliferation of computational power, it also created an unprecedented demand for a precious natural resource: sand. As every engineer knows, semiconductors are based on silicon. Silicon may be element 14 on the periodic table, but it is element #1 in sand. Semiconductor vendors pump out more and more chips every year, depleting our planet’s finite supply of sand. How long will it be before chip companies start appropriating this so-called “white gold” from the world’s playgrounds and beaches? Some have suggested that we need not worry about running out of sand—after all, deserts occupy nearly one seventh of the world’s surface area. Unfortunately, this suggestion is naïve. Have you ever seen a dune stay in the same place for more than a week? No, we cannot afford to let our great industry become dependant on such shifty, unreliable resources. There is only one way to keep sand from bringing us nightmares. We must begin a national silicon-recycling program immediately. Those who live near a coast could take their unused chips directly to the beach. Those in inland areas could ship their semiconductors to a centralized recycling location such as Arenoso, TX.
Although the semiconductor industry would like to keep this problem
quiet, the hourglass shows that there is little time left before we
sink into disaster. We must grit our teeth and face this national
problem before it is too late. Let there never be a day where
playgrounds are filled with cries of “Mommy, where did all the sand
go?”
BDTI Expands “Sounding Board” Service with “Ouija Board”Expanding on its highly regarded “Sounding Board” service, BDTI announces its new “Ouija Board” sessions. In these trying times, numerous vendors of DSP-related products—chips, cores, tools, and software—have passed away. Want to learn how to avoid their fate? Join BDTI for a “Ouija Board” session as we channel insights from these dead companies! You can put your faith in BDTI’s experts. “We have a unique knowledge of deceased companies,” said Jeff Bier, General Manager of BDTI. “It is well-known in the industry that before you go to the grave, you go to the bier.”
More information on the “Ouija Board” sessions can be found on the
Ethernet.
Join BDTI at ESC, CDC, ISPC/GSPx, and EPFJoin BDTI at this year’s roster of DSP-related conferences, including ESC, CDC, ISPC/GSPx, and EPF. BDTI will host panel discussions featuring VIPs from TI, ADI, ARM, MIPS and NEC, and will present workshops on DSPs, MCUs, GPPs, and FPGAs. ESC, run by CMP, will be in SF. CMP also runs CDC in CA in 3Q03. EPF, run by MDR and sponsored by MIPS and EDN, will be in SJ. RSVP ASAP for ESC or CDC at CMP.com; for EPF, see MDR.com.
ISPC/GSPx by GTC will be in TX near DFW. RSVP for ISPC/GSPx by
2003/04/05 06:00 GMT. Contact GTC C/O TLA@BDTI.com. Use ASCII
(.TXT), not HTML. Act now, and you could win a VGA LCD PDA w/MP3,
WMA, and MPEG-4, a PCMCIA WiFi adapter and USB CCD!
About BDTIBDTI is an independent source for DSP technology analysis and optimized DSP software, blah, blah, blah, blah...
We’re also a bunch of jokers and if you haven’t caught on yet, April
Fool!
The next—serious—issue of BDTI’s DSP Insider is coming April 7. Previous issues of BDTI’s DSP Insider are archived on BDTI’s Web site. Follow the link from http://www.BDTI.com/dspinsider.htm. If you have comments, suggestions, or other feedback about the DSP Insider, please send email to dspinsider@BDTI.com. BDTI’s DSP Insider is a free monthly electronic newsletter published by Berkeley Design Technology, Inc. If our newsletter was forwarded to you and you would like to receive it regularly, please register at http://www.BDTI.com/dspinsider.htm.
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