Renesas Technology Europe has announced that it has completed the design of an innovative new CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computer) CPU architecture that will deliver unmatched capabilities in code efficiency, processing performance, and power consumption for a future generation of Renesas' CISC microcontrollers (MCUs). Products based on the new architecture will be branded as the 'RX' family.

The first family utilizing the Renesas' eXtreme MCU core, RX is destined to bring excellent performance and versatility to many end systems in the coming years. When RX devices, built around 16-bit and 32-bit versions of the new CPU, become available, Renesas expects that they will accelerate the expansion of its MCU business and support the company's vision of a ubiquitous networked society.

According to Renesas , today's embedded systems involve more complex designs that require higher performance, multiple functions, and the use of advanced technology. As a result, system complexity and program sizes increase, and MCUs must run faster and more efficiently in order to execute large application programs in real-time.

Renesas has a product portfolio of MCUs, including the M16C, H8S, R32C and H8SX families that address 16- and 32-bit markets. The strong global demand for these popular devices, coupled with forecasts for continued market growth, especially in the 32-bit market, has encouraged Renesas to invest the substantial R&D resources necessary to make the new architecture a reality.

Important characteristics achieved in the new RX architecture, which fully satisfy the objectives announced in May 2007, are as follows:

1. Maximum operating frequency: 200MHz
2. Processing performance (MIPS/MHz): 1.25 MIPS/MHz (Dhrystone v2.1 benchmark)
3. High code efficiency(3): 30% reduction in object-code size compared to existing products
4. Low power consumption: 0.03 mA/MHz
5. Compatibility and scalability with existing products

The new RX architecture with powerful CISC instructions will provide these enhanced capabilities while at the same time unifying Renesas' existing CISC architectures into a single platform. The new platform will be compatible with existing CISC products, allowing customers to preserve their investments. The first of the enhanced MCUs are expected to become available in the second quarter of 2009. The primary target markets include office automation, digital consumer electronics and industrial systems.

See www.renesas.eu