Texas Instruments claims fastest DSP

MARCH 31--Texas Instruments (TI; Dallas, TX; www.ti.com) has unveiled what it says is the world's fastest digital signal processor (DSP). A member of the TMS320C64xTM generation of high-performance DSP chips, the new TMS320C6416 DSP has a clock rate of 720 MHz.

Most DSPs operate at or below 300 MHz to date. The new record-setting TI DSP will enable designers to increase system throughput, improve quality, lower system cost, and add new features to the latest electronic equipments. Also, medical imaging will tap this performance to deliver increased diagnosis quality.

Based on the TMS320C64x DSP core, this 720-MHz part was developed using a 130-nm semiconductor production process. These breakthrough chips have architectural enhancements for video imaging, 1 Mbyte of on-chip memory, wireless acceleration coprocessors, and high-speed input/output peripherals.