New platform of devices combines 1.5 GHz TI DSP and 1.5 GHz ARM cores enabling precision, control and system cost savings for machine vision, test and measurement and tracking and control applications
Texas Instruments Incorporated builds upon the success of its existing digital signal processor (DSP) + ARM product offerings by introducing the C6A816x Integra DSP + ARM generation of processors. The C6A816x Integra DSP + ARM processors offer the industry's fastest single-core floating- and fixed-point DSP performance with performance up to 1.5 GHz and also integrates the industry's fastest single-core ARM Cortex-A8 core with performance up to 1.5 GHz. The combined Integra DSP + ARM architecture is ideal because the DSP is dedicated to handle intensive signal processing needs, complex math functions and image processing algorithms, while the ARM is available for graphical user interfaces (GUIs), network connectivity, system control and application processing under multiple operating systems. These operating systems include Linux, Microsoft Windows Embedded Compact 7 and Android. The C6A816x Integra DSP + ARM processors also integrate numerous high bandwidth peripherals that lower system cost and improve system performance, making them perfect for applications such as machine vision, test and measurement and tracking and control.
Extreme integration for performance, connectivity and cost efficiencies
The two new devices in the C6A816x Integra DSP + ARM generation are the C6A8168 and C6A8167 processors. These processors integrate a TMS320C674x floating- and fixed-point DSP and an ARM Cortex-A8 processor on a single chip, along with several high-bandwidth peripherals, optimized for a broad array of applications. These peripherals include PCIExpress Gen2, SATA 2.0, dual Gigabit Ethernet and dual DDR2/DDR3 interfaces that offer various network connectivity selections and storage options and provide quick transmission of data on and off of the chip. This integration allows customers to dramatically improve performance and can reduce bill of materials (BOM) costs by as much as 50 percent through reduced chip count, including discrete memory costs, and printed circuit board (PCB) space.
Advanced display capabilities and 3D graphics
The C6A8168 and C6A8167 Integra DSP + ARM processors are equipped with an on-chip display engine allowing for output of two different streams of content for dual, simultaneous high-resolution displays. This is important in applications such as high-end machine vision systems where one display presents a touch screen keyboard and the other display shows machine performance and vision analysis output. The C6A8168 Integra DSP + ARM processor specifically integrates a 3D graphics accelerator to enable a more complex, richer GUI experience. Both processors are perfect for applications requiring a seamless graphical, dual-screen experience from a single highly integrated processor.
Highly scalable platform protects software investments and expands market opportunities
TI provides its customers with a wide range of devices – from low-power to high-performance options – including Integra DSP + ARM processors, Sitara ARM MPUs (new devices also announced today) and DaVinci digital media processors. Using these compatible offerings from TI, customers can rapidly develop multiple products with an array of features to address diverse markets, while reusing their investments in software across all the products. These new compatible Integra DSP + ARM and Sitara ARM MPU devices share the same peripheral memory maps, bus architecture and ARM Cortex-A8 core, allowing for increased functionality and product robustness while protecting investments and allowing for faster time to market. Additionally, with a broad portfolio of software compatible devices, customers can migrate within the Integra DSP + ARM product line from earlier ARM9-based low-power OMAP-L13x DSP + ARM processors and scale to the C6A816x Integra DSP + ARM processors and to future compatible devices.
Evaluate in minutes; begin development in less than an hour
Both the new the Integra DSP + ARM processors and Sitara ARM MPUs are supported by a comprehensive hardware evaluation module (EVM) and a single, free TI EZ Software Development Kit (EZ SDK), allowing customers to evaluate their devices in minutes and begin development in less than an hour. The Integra DSP + ARM processors and Sitara ARM MPUs also share a common development environment, containing TI's Code Composer Studio Integrated Development Environment that supports all TI embedded processors. This minimizes the learning curve to accelerate time to market and reduce development costs. Additionally, for ARM programmers who want to take advantage of the DSP performance in the Integra DSP + ARM processors, the TI EZ SDK contains tools to make DSP programming easy. TI's C6EZRun for code porting enables developers to easily run ARM code on a DSP without changing their ARM application code, and the TI C6EZAccel provides a library of hundreds of DSP-optimized signal processing algorithms with ARM APIs to accelerate development time.
C6A816x Integra DSP + ARM processors features and benefits
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Feature |
Customer benefit |
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Performance: Highest performing floating- and fixed-point DSP in the market with up to 1.5 GHz performance (TMS320C674x), combined with the highest-performing ARM Cortex-A8 at up to 1.5 GHz on a single chip |
In the combined DSP + ARM Integra devices, the DSP enables math-intensive algorithms and the ability to run numerically-precise applications by offering floating- and fixed-point operations, including single- and double-precision floating point, which allow for accelerated time to market, easier development, as well as reduced research and development to port algorithms. The ARM Cortex-A8 on-chip is available for high-level system control, network connectivity and operating system support to enable application processing. |
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Core integration: Integrated DSP + ARM cores suited for products requiring intensive signal processing, comprehensive system control, a responsive GUI and the ability to run applications under operating systems such as Linux, Microsoft Windows Embedded Compact 7 and Android |
Saves board space, manufacturing costs (as much as 50 percent) and discrete memory costs and allows for faster performance due to the high-speed interconnect between two cores |
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Peripheral integration: Large set of peripheral options, including a two-lane PCIExpress Gen2, two USB 2.0 ports, HDMI TX, SATA 2.0 interfaces for up to two external drives, two 32-bit DDR2/DDR3 external memory interfaces at up to 1.6 GHz, two Gigabit Ethernet MACs (GEMAC) and two-channel video I/O |
Provides seamless integration of high performance network connectivity options and peripherals into a single chip, while simplifying the sourcing process by using one supplier and reducing development time and cost.
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Advanced display capabilities and 3D graphics: Supports up to two high-quality displays at up to 1920 x 1280 resolution with an SGX530 graphics accelerator up to 333 MHz (C6A8168 only) to render 3D graphics |
Enables 3D graphics for more complex GUIs and facilitates a seamless graphical multi-screen experience with a single highly integrated processor |
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Software: TI's EZ Software Development Kit supporting C6A816x Integra DSP + ARM processors and compatible AM389x Sitara ARM MPUs. The kit also contains the TI C6EZRun and TI C6EZAccel tools. |
A free software package allows easy evaluation of device (out-of-box experience) within minutes and development in less than an hour. It also allows easy development with a single installation that includes: development software and example code required to start development, TI C6EZ tools to ease DSP programming, operating systems, drivers for peripherals, connectivity and display, touch screen graphical application launcher, graphic development kit, example graphics and starter code. |
Tools, pricing and availability
Development is made easy, and evaluation can begin in minutes with TI's comprehensive evaluation module (EVM) and the free TI EZ SDK available on ti.com. Designers can begin development on the DDR2 version (TMDXEVM8168DDR2) today for $1,895. A DDR3 version with video capture capability is expected to begin shipping in 1Q2011. Available for download, the new TI EZ SDK includes ARM and DSP source code and hundreds of ready-to-use DSP kernels, in a single package with only one installation. The SDK supports Linux today, and Microsoft Windows Embedded Compact 7 and Android support is planned for 1Q2011.
