Analog Devices recently announced the ADSP-2191, the first single-core member of its ADSP-219x family. According to ADI, the '2191 will operate at 160 MHz at 2.5 volts. The 16-bit '2191 targets telecommunications applications with a DMA controller, an 8- or 16- bit host port interface, three synchronous serial ports, two serial peripheral interfaces, and one UART. Along with the chip itself ADI will offer a suite of communications algorithms that are optimized for the '2191. Chips are scheduled to begin sampling in June 2001, with full production scheduled for early 2002; the 10 Ku price for this device is $15.
ADI originally stated that it would pursue three roadmaps for the '219x family: "highest performance," served by multi-core chips like the ADSP-2192, announced earlier; "power efficient" (e.g., 1.8 volt) single-core chips; and "high performance" single-core chips. The '2191 is clearly in this last group—this single-core chip is not targeting either "highest performance" or "power efficient" applications. In fact, the '2191 seems mainly designed to be an upgrade option for those already using '218x famly members with similar peripherals.
ADI touts the 160 MIPS '2191 as providing double the performance of the 80 MIPS '218x chips—a claim based on MIPS ratings. However, in order to achieve this clock speed boost ADI introduced a deeper pipeline in the '219x family—six stages, as compared with three on the '218x. While this allowed ADI to increase the clock speed of '219x chips, the deeper pipeline also means that the '219x requires more cycles than the '218x to do the same amount of work. In our benchmark analysis BDTI found that the speed-up is more likely to be about 75%, not the 100% suggested by the doubled MIPS rating. However, the marginal cost of this increased performance is quite small—'2191 chips cost only one dollar more than comparable '218x chips.
Add new comment