Freescale Semiconductor is expanding its offerings of multicore embedded processors at both the low and high end. Two new dual-core chips consume less than 4 W, less than the company's existing dual-core PowerQuicc chips, while a new eight-core part hits a new performance high in a chip consuming less than 30W.

The eight-core P4080 shows the general direction of the new architecture. It employs the company's new CoreNet cache coherent on-chip interconnect that links existing e500 Power cores as well as upgraded security and pattern matching accelerators.

Two new low-end dual core parts provide a seven-fold improvement in performance per Watt compared to existing dual-core PowerQuicc chips. In part, the benefits come from the leap to 45nm technology and in part from a reduction of core speeds from 1.5 to 1.2 GHz and L2 caches size from a Mbit to 512 Kbits. .

The dual-core chips will sample by the end of the year. A simulation model of the eight-core chip is available in now, but the chip won't be available for sampling until early 2009.

By: Docmemory
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