On 15 Oct, 15:33, in...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
wrote:
> On 14 Okt., 15:57, Leon <leon...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > On 13 Oct, 20:42, Eric Smith <e...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>
> > > Bob wrote about XMOS:
>
> > > > They seem far too fixated on doing everything in software, things
l=
ike
> > > > ethernet where there is no point shoveling bytes in software if
> > > > hardware can take care of it.
> > > Leon wrote:
> > > > They are supplying free libraries for all the usual peripheral
> > > > functions. Doing stuff like that in software is much cheaper than
> > > > using hardware, and easier in many ways.
>
> > > Been there, done that, and it's not cheaper or easier when you
> > > consider the overall system cost impact, not just the "benefit" of
> > > leaving out the hardware block. =A0That was the path Scenix/Ubicom
we=
nt
> > > down, calling it "virtual peripherals", and it was not very
> > > successful. =A0Ubicom has since added hardware for Ethernet, USB,
> > > etc. to their most recent parts. =A0The reality is that a hardware
> > > Ethernet MAC costs less than the total system cost impact of the
> > > software alternative.
>
> > > Eric
>
> > Not if you have four 400 MIPS cores on the chip, each with 64 bits of
> > I/O, 64k of RAM, with 3.2 Gbit/s comms links between cores and 32
> > threads per core, with switching between threads in one clock. If the
> > software is free, it is a very cost-effective solution, especially as
> > the chips will be very cheap.
>
> XMOS found a way to make their chips so cheap, that they can do
> everything cheaper in software than all others in hardware?
> Why don't they sell this revolutionary technology to semiconductor /
> FPGA companies then?
> They just wouldn't tell anyone about it and the same big Market would
> use it without knowing, =A0but at lower prices.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
With chips anticipated to sell for as little as $1 each, and replacing
FPGAs and DSPs in a lot of applications, I expect that the much larger
established companies will be getting worried. XMOS already has
several design wins, although the chips are not yet in full
production.
I've just heard that free samples of the BGA512 chip and the newer
BGA144 chip will soon be available via the XMOS web site. The latter
is in an 11x11 mm package, and is identical to the larger device,
apart from only having the I/O from two cores brought out. It should
be possible to put it on a low-cost 4-layer board, which is something
I'll be doing.
Leon
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