Parallel Lines

Embedded computing firm Vmetro is proposing to simplify the development of multi-processor systems by changing the way data is transferred to the shared memory.

The company's FusionIPC processor-to-processor comms software handles both bulk data movement and message passing in a small footprint without requiring application involvement.

“Similar to other existing approaches, FusionIPC is built upon a shared memory buffer model but differs in that it combines coordination of bulk data movement with messaging and signals without application involvement,” commented Mike Jadon, CTO of embedded systems at Vmetro.

Continue reading "Making shared memory more efficient for multi-processor systems" »

Important, not to say vital, support for the development of the PC-like mobile phone quietly slipped into the handset market this week with Adobe saying it would make its Flash software freely available for mobile devices.

Companies endorsing the plan to make mobiles "just like a PC in your hand", through what Adobe calls its Open Screen Project, include ARM, Cisco, Intel, LG Electronics, Marvell, Motorola, Nokia, NTT DoCoMo, Qualcomm, Samsung Electronics and Sony Ericsson.

Also behind the move are content providers such as the BBC, MTV Networks and NBC Universal.

Continue reading "Turning mobiles in to PCs in a Flash" »

Bath is the centre for the UK’s latest basestation conference which is taking place this week, and among the early movers at the event are Nitronex, a GaN-on-Silicon RF power IC specialist and Nujira who are teaming up to create a WiMAX power amplifier reference design.

The interesting point about this is the choice of GaN technology which should help the power efficiency which can be an issue with WiMAX transmissions.

NEC first showed a gallium nitride (GaN) power transistor amplifier in 2006, which it claimed had the world's highest output power level of 400W with low-distortion characteristics.

According to the companies, using a 4 channel WCDMA waveform it has been possible to realise over 44dBm of linear power with 45% efficiency at a linearity of -55dBC.

Continue reading "Awayday in Bath for high efficiency WiMAX power design" »

There are still not enough graduates with the rights skills coming out of UK universities.

That seems to be the worrying finding of new research in the jobs market published by the CBI.

Inevitably is it graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects which are in highest demand.

According to the survey, 92% of firms want people with these skills. By 2014, it is expected that the UK will need to fill over three-quarters of a million extra jobs requiring highly numerate, analytical people with STEM skills, making a net total of 2.4 million of these jobs in six years' time.

Continue reading "Universities not stemming STEM shortfall" »

Those clever guys at ARM in Cambridge seem to have come up with another winner with the Cortex-M3 processor core.

Not only are the big name licensees, such as NXP, Toshiba and TI, developing new lower power silicon based on the 32-bit Cortex-M3 core, but the really interesting thing is that the core is also defining a whole new business for a couple of newer companies.

That puts it in the same sentence with 8051 and x86. But with a difference. These comapnies want to use Cortex-M3 to create new types of energy-friendly MCUs and so save the planet in the process.

Continue reading "Can ARM's Cortex-M3 processor save the planet?" »

IBM and its process technology partners may have found the Holy Grail in their search for a high-k dielectric material which is practical at the 32nm process node and below.

The high-k/metal gate (HKMG) material when used in evaluation circuits registered performance improvements on 32nm technology circuits of up to 35 per cent over 45nm technology circuits at the same operating voltage.

Continue reading "When high-k dielectric is the Holy Grail for IBM, Freescale and Samsung" »

Professor David Payne of the University of Southampton has been named as a finalist for the world's most prestigious technology awards.

The fact that many people in the UK will not have heard of Professor Payne is yet another sad indictment of this country's wayward approach to scientific and engineering achievements.

Continue reading "Engineering myopia in the UK " »

At least one industry watcher has welcomed Motorola's decision to split itself into two parts as a good move.

But I have seen nothing to alter my belief that merger or acquisition will be the most likely outcome for Motorola's troubled handset business.

Continue reading "Motorola handset sale still looks likely" »

Why doesn't Qualcomm buy Motorola's mobile phone business? It's available, well soon to be, after Motorola's decision to spin off its mobile phone business.

Qualcomm has the cash - around $11bn in the bank at the end of January - and it has the ambition, to be the leading technology brand in the mobile phone market.

So would it make sense for Qualcomm, the holder of so many fundamental 3G WCDMA patents, to own a handset business? On the face of it, no.

Continue reading "Why doesn't Qualcomm buy Motorola?" »

Is this the first in-car navigation hardware to use multi-core processor performance? I have had a quick scan around and I cannot find anything similar.

NEC's NaviEngine1 has no fewer than four ARM11 MPcores carrying out multi-processing. With all that processing power it requires a fast internal bus and so NEC has integrated a Serial ATA interface.

Continue reading "NEC gives ARM multi-core a road test" »