Freescale extends QorIQ family with quad-core P3 platform optimized for low power

The new QorIQ P3041 expands the reach of Freescale’s P4 platform into lower power applications. Manufactured in 45nm silicon-on-insulator process technology, the P3041 offers optimal integration and new intellectual property that delivers improved functionality for end products. The P3041 processor integrates four e500mc cores based on Power Architecture® technology running up to 1.5 GHz at less than 12 watts, and delivers about 2.5 DMIPS/MHz. Key features include a three-level cache hierarchy for optimized latencies, a hardware hypervisor for robust support of multiple operating systems within the device, a trusted boot architecture to ensure code is not tampered with or reverse engineered, efficient data path handling, and improved Serial RapidIO and SATA IP.

“The P3 platform rounds out the first generation of QorIQ platforms with multicore products that deliver outstanding performance within extremely aggressive power envelopes,” said Brett Butler, vice president and general manager of Freescale’s Networking Processor Division. “Freescale’s customers now have a comprehensive multicore portfolio spanning from ultra-low power dual-core processors, 12 watt quad-core devices, a highly advanced eight core offering and even 64-bit solutions that deliver 2.2 GHz within 30 watts.”

The P3041 is pin-compatible with Freescale’s QorIQ P4080, P4040, P5020 and P5010 products and shares the same advanced architecture as these high-end devices. As a result, products in the P3, P4, and P5 families are software compatible, enabling easy migration across a range of applications, from mid-range mixed control/data plane applications on the P3041, to high-end data plane on the P4080, to high-end control plane with the P5020.

The P3041 also integrates new IP to deliver improved functionality for mixed control/data plane applications. SATA 2.0 controllers allow connection of hard drives for applications that need to store data onboard the system, and improved Serial RapidIO controllers (v1.3 + 2.1) allow enhanced Type 9 and 11 messaging for base stations and defense applications. Dual high-speed USB 2.0 with integrated PHYs also help to reduce overall BOM cost and board space.

The P3 family targets mixed control plane and data plane applications, leveraging a hardware hypervisor and its capability to safely provision flexible core allocations including: groups of cores running SMP, cores running independent or serial applications, cores running in parallel, or cores running end-user applications. Examples of these approaches include:

* Integrated Access Routers (IAD): Dual SATA ports provide high-speed, low-cost storage options for statistics or large databases. Compared to SGMII, P3041’s support for 2.5Gb/s Ethernet enables the next step in performance connectivity to switches.
* Base Station Network Interface Cards (NIC): Dual Serial RapidIO ports up to 5 GHz can be used for redundancy or multiple connections, both to the backplane or to the DSP farm. With improved Type 11 messaging and new support for Type 9 data streaming, the Serial RapidIO interconnect can be used not only as a control plane interface, but can also achieve its intended potential as an efficient replacement of Ethernet as data plane interface.