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Product category: Design and Development Hardware
News Release from: LSI Europe | Subject: RapidChip SoC prototyping platform
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 6 December 2005

Prototype platform speeds
ARM-based SoCs to market

LSI Logic has developed a novel RapidChip system-on-a-chip (SoC) prototyping platform based on the ARM926EJ-S processor

LSI Logic Corp has developed a RapidChip system-on-a-chip (SoC) prototyping platform based on the ARM926EJ-S processor. The new prototyping platform enables designers to emulate their cell-based ASIC or RapidChip Platform ASIC design before tape out, provides FPGA-based system verification and enables software development to begin earlier, further reducing risk and time to market.

This cost-effective RapidChip SoC prototyping platform also allows platform ASIC developers to quickly respond to the accelerating trend of integrating processors into designs supporting all segments of the industry.

Codeveloped with Memec Design Europe, the new RapidChip SoC prototyping platform provides a complete development system that lowers barriers for designing an SoC with a leading 32bit embedded processor.

The platform provides a 200MHz ARM926EJ-S processor and a complete set of peripherals with a 200MHz, 400Mbit/s DDR1 controller on a RapidChip integrator slice.

'This new RapidChip prototyping platform bolsters LSI Logic's leadership position in offering high-performance ARM processors for structured or platform ASIC', said Mike Inglis, Vice President, Marketing at ARM.

'In addition to having a broad portfolio of ARM processors to choose from, RapidChip platform ASIC customers can now start prototyping their ARM processor-based design at full speed prior to seeing silicon, enabling their product to be completed much earlier'.

'The new RapidChip SoC prototyping platform quickly gives us a stable hardware/software codesign system, integrating an ARM926 subsystem and our own system design with minimal effort', said Helmut Hegny, Senior Manager ASIC Design, Marconi Communications.

'Early hardware of the final platform ASIC in the form of an ARM926EJ-S prototyping chip, companion FPGA and peripheral interfaces allows very fast software integration and system debug, giving us a high degree of confidence of getting our design right and shipping early'.

'Partnering with LSI on this system prototyping platform allowed us to advance the tools available to SoC and verification system designers', said Matthias Isler, Director, Memec Design Europe.

'The RapidChip SoC prototyping platform enables designers to prototype their own application-specific logic attached to the AHB infrastructure, using an external FPGA.

This is a convenient method which ensures cycle accuracy for software engineers who are integrating their firmware with hardware'.

RapidChip technology developers that use Synplicity's Amplify RapidChip synthesis tool can also take advantage of a common tool flow with FPGA design when building and testing their application logic during the prototyping phase.

This simplifies creation of a final RapidChip design database, ensuring better performance and reducing time to market.

The board will be available from Memec Design in Europe and from LSI in other areas beginning in January 2006 with a list price starting at $3999, depending on the configuration.

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