Semiconductor technology licensing company IPextreme has signed a ‘frame agreement’ with National Semiconductor under which it will sell and support a broad selection of proven semiconductor IP. Initially, IPextreme will offer an collection of commonly needed AMBA 2.0 peripherals and the CompactRISC CR16 processor.
“IPextreme has proven successful bringing semiconductor technology to market as IP,” commented Pat Sullivan, Product Line Director for National’s device connectivity division. “Customers have been asking to integrate the CR16 core for certain high volume applications and now, through IPextreme, they can license, take delivery and be supported with a fully compatible processor core.”
Warren Savage, IPextreme ceo, pictured, added: “National has a useful and proven peripheral library and the CR16 strikes an elegant balance between functionality and cost. We look forward to making such proven technology from such an established semiconductor brand as National Semiconductor available through our IP commercialisation program.”
The AMBA peripherals will be packaged as a library that includes useful functions such as: DMA, memory and interrupt controllers, AHB-APB bridge, I2C, US/ART, GPIO, CAN, Microwire/SPI, advanced timers, and smart card and audio interfaces.
The CR16 is the 16bit implementation of the CompactRISC architecture. Proven in a range of National Semiconductor standard parts, including the CP3000 communications processor family, other volume applications for the CR16 include automotive airbag, infotainment and lighting systems; Bluetooth and DECT wireless communication; and personal computer peripherals and I/O.
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