Analog Devices Extends High Performance, Low Power Floating Point Processing Precision to New Class of Designs with Latest Expansion of SHARC DSP P

Analog Devices, unveiled the newest additions to its SHARC portfolio of 32-bit floating point digital signal processors – the SHARC 2148x and SHARC 2147x series. Delivering an optimal balance of performance and price with up to 5 Mb of integrated memory, high performance SHARC 2148x and low power SHARC 2147x series processors extend single-chip, floating point signal processing precision to a wide range of applications and enable high-end system functionality in portable devices. With SHARC 2148x and SHARC 2147x processors, designers can take advantage of end-to-end SHARC family code compatibility and a robust suite of ADI development tools to realise new levels of development efficiency and design innovation via the industry’s highest-performing 32-bit floating point DSP platform.



Formerly reserved for specialised systems with board space to accommodate multiple processors and off-chip memory, floating point processing is now more accessible and affordable for designers looking to bring high-end processing power to mass market applications. SHARC 2148x series processors deliver up to 33% greater performance (400MHz) and up to 250% more on-chip memory (5Mb) than competing 32-bit floating point DSPs, distinguishing the SHARC 2148x series as the processors of choice for high definition (HD) audio and home theatre applications, as well as advanced industrial applications requiring single-chip, floating point precision at a low price point.



Designers of portable and/or battery-powered systems are now better equipped than ever to leverage floating point processing precision without compromising system power budgets, board space, or component costs. For portable devices and applications like advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) that require floating point processing precision with low power consumption and high environmental tolerance, new 12x12mm SHARC 2147x series processors consume only 363 mW power (typical use-case) – up to 20% less power than competing processors – and deliver performance up to 266MHz with up to 5 Mb on-chip memory to provide more performance and memory integration per square millimetre than any other competing floating point DSP.



Advanced SHARC Family Features



New SHARC 2148x and SHARC 2147x processors feature dedicated hardware accelerators with independent compute units and DMA memory mapping, enabling the ability to execute FFT/FIR/IIR signal processing operations in the background to free up MIPS for core processing. Memory usage is optimized via Variable Instruction Set Architecture (VISA) support, which can free up as much as 30% of memory space for application code through reductions in instruction opcode sizing.



Application Highlights



Best-in-Class Price/Performance for HD Audio and Home Theatre Applications



With integrated audio-centric peripherals and dedicated on-chip decoders to enable high-performance audio product designs, SHARC 2148x processors enable designers to develop feature-rich, price competitive HD audio and home theatre systems in increasingly smaller form factors. Renowned in the pro audio market for enabling exquisite sound quality and advanced digital effects, SHARC-calibre algorithm processing can now be applied to consumer AVR systems requiring low cost, single-chip board implementations.



Floating Point Precision for Radar-based Automotive Applications/ADAS



SHARC 2147x processors provide the computational precision to facilitate radar-based ADAS including adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection and cross traffic alert, enabling optimal target resolution, multi-target tracking and real-time system responsiveness for safety-critical applications. With low power attributes and 105 degree C ambient operating temperature tolerance, SHARC 2147x processors meet automotive environment requirements and are competitively priced to help lower ADAS option package pricing and accelerate consumer adoption.



Low Power, Precision Processing for Portable Medical Devices



Low power SHARC 2147x processors are optimized for portable medical devices that equip healthcare professionals with sophisticated diagnostic capabilities in clinics, emergency vehicles and other non-hospital settings. SHARC 2147x-powered medical devices ensure highly precise signal processing to yield accurate patient data that healthcare professionals can count on to expedite treatment decisions.



Ultra Efficient Motor Control



SHARC 2148x processors equip designers with the performance, processing precision and peripherals they need to develop cost-effective, next generation motor drive and industrial control systems. Designers can utilize visual development software to implement sophisticated algorithms that yield dynamic system control and greater energy efficiency, while reducing design complexity and accelerating time to market.



Third-party ecosystem embraces SHARC 2148x and SHARC 2147x. Third-parties providing value-added design services and technology for the SHARC 2148x and SHARC 2147x series include AeVee Labs, Danville Signal Processing, DSP Concepts, Kaztek Systems, and the MathWorks.



Supporting Quotes



“With each new SHARC processor series that ADI brings to market, we witness a corresponding leap in design innovation among an ever-widening community of developers that look to SHARC as the industry’s preeminent floating point processor platform,” said Jerry McGuire, vice president, DSP division, Analog Devices, Inc. “SHARC 2148x and SHARC 2147x series processors extend SHARC-calibre floating point processing to a new class of designs, enabling designers to push the boundaries of system-functionality, affordability, and portability.”