Santa Barbara, CA. May 5, 1999--Green Hills Software today announced that its MULTI software development environment will be the first IDE to support RADIAX, a set of DSP extensions to the MIPS architecture developed by Lexra. Green Hills will support the MIPS architecture and new RADIAX extensions with an integrated development environment (MULTI) that includes an assembler, optimizing C/C++ compiler, source-level debugger, execution profiler, and version control tools. Green Hills will also offer a cycle-accurate instruction set simulator that lets designers develop code for RADIAX-enhanced MIPS processors without having access to the target hardware.
RADIAX is a set of 36 instructions that make MIPS processors adept at performing compute-intensive signal processing functions for applications such as multimedia and telephony. Available for MIPS I - MIPS IV, EJTAG, and MIPS16® architectures, the RADIAX extensions include instructions for DSP arithmetic and bit manipulation that greatly enhance signal processing performance. Lexra will incorporate the RADIAX extensions in a new dual-MAC RISC/DSP core known as the LX5280, which will provide a peak performance of 400 million MACs per second. Lexra will also license the RADIAX extensions to other manufacturers of MIPS-based processors on a royalty-free basis.
MIPS processors equipped with RADIAX DSP extensions are ideal for communications applications such as G3 cellular phones, ADSL modems, and Internet telephony gateways that require both signal processing and general-purpose control functionality. With a RADIAX-equipped MIPS processor, designers can consolidate control and signal processing on the same device, thereby eliminating the need for separate RISC and DSP processors. This not only simplifies software development, but leads to significant reductions in size, power consumption and cost.
"The RADIAX extensions, together with Green Hills Software's MULTI development environment, bring true signal processing to MIPS processors," said John Carbone, vice president of marketing at Green Hills Software. "Equally important, they do so in a way that enables existing MIPS programmers to leverage signal processing capabilities without scrapping existing code, without having to learn separate RISC and DSP development environments, and without having to master complex VLIW (Very Long Instruction Word) architectures."
"Green Hills Software is best known as a supplier of optimizing compilers for high-performance RISC and CISC CPUs," continued Carbone. "However, we cut our teeth developing vectorizing compilers for large machines and currently offer optimizing compilers for a number of CPUs with integrated DSP capability. Our expertise with RISC/CISC CPUs and DSPs makes us uniquely positioned to deliver an easy-to-use IDE that fully exploits the capabilities of RADIAX-enhanced MIPS processors."
Green Hills Software's MULTI integrated development environment, together with the company's family of C, C++, EC++, FORTRAN, Pascal and Ada95 optimizing compilers, provide a fully integrated environment for developing MIPS-based embedded software. MULTI automates all aspects of MIPS software development, including editing, source-level debugging, graphical program building, execution profiling, run-time error checking and project/version control. Also available is an optimizing profiler (CodeBalance) that takes full advantage of the 16-bit extension provided on the MIPS16, making it easy to produce hybrid 16-/32-bit programs that maximize both code density and performance.
"We're pleased to have Green Hills Software on board with our new RADIAX extensions," said Pat Hays, Chief Technology Officer at Lexra. "Green Hills has already established itself as a leading supplier of embedded software development tools for the MIPS architecture, which is the industry's leading RISC architecture. With the MULTI IDE, legions of MIPS programmers will now be able to take full advantage of the RADIAX DSP extensions without having to learn a new development environment."
The RADIAX license will be available free of royalties or other fees to all MIPS licensees beginning in 3Q 1999. The RADIAX license includes a detailed specification, a certification test suite and an instruction set simulator. Each licensee must certify that it has correctly implemented the full RADIAX instruction set, and must display the RADIAX logo. Lexra has begun initial discussions with MIPS licensees regarding RADIAX licensing.
More on Green Hills Software
Incorporated in 1982, Green Hills Software, Inc., is a leading supplier of software development tools for 32- and 64-bit embedded systems. Green Hills offers a family of optimizing C, C++, Embedded C++, Ada 95, FORTRAN and Pascal compilers. The company's unique MULTI software development environment automates the compile-edit-build-debug cycle by integrating advanced facilities such as an RTOS-aware source-level debugger, performance profiler, program builder and version control system.
Green Hills Software's tools support all major 32-bit and 64-bit advanced microprocessor families and target environments, including instruction set simulators, ROM Monitors, commercial and home grown real-time operating systems (RTOS) and in-circuit emulators (ICE).
Green Hills Software is headquartered in Santa Barbara, CA., and has US offices in California, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Florida. International headquarters are located in the United Kingdom, with offices in France, Germany, and the Netherlands. For sales information on Green Hills Software products, please call 1-805-965-6044 or email inquiries to sales@ghs.com.
About Lexra
Lexra, Inc. is a leading microprocessor developer specializing in 32-bit RISC and DSP cores for the embedded market. In addition to competitive performance, small die size and low power consumption, Lexra's processor cores are also easy to use, easy to port and provide customers with cost effective solutions. Lexra is headquartered in Waltham, MA. Further information can be found at http://www.lexra.com. Lexra, Inc. is not associated with MIPS Technologies, Inc. in any way.
*MIPS, MIPS I, MIPS IV, MIPS16, R3000, and other MIPS common law marks are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of MIPS Technologies, Inc. RADIAX is a trademark of Lexra, Inc.
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