Freescale MSC8155 digital signal processor boosts performance for wireless base station equipment

Similar to the MSC8156, the new MSC8155 processor integrates six SC3850 StarCore DSP cores running at 1 GHz on a single die, delivering 6 GHz of raw DSP performance. The SC3850 core recently earned the best-ever fixed-point BDTImark2000™ benchmark score from independent signal-processing technology analysis firm, Berkeley Design Technology, Inc. (www.BDTI.com).

Major enhancements to the MSC8155 include a second-generation version of Freescale’s multi-accelerator platform engine acceleration block (MAPLE-B2L) and the newest interconnect Serial RapidIO® Gen2 technology. The MSC8155 DSP supports existing 3G-UMTS, TD-SCDMA and WiMAX base station deployments and upcoming 3G-LTE standards such as FDD-LTE and TDD-LTE features including Turbo/Viterbi FEC.

“The MSC8155 DSP brings even greater functionality and higher system performance to baseband and industrial applications, said Scott Aylor, general manager of DSP products for Freescale’s Networking and Multimedia Group. “Building on the innovation and market traction of the MSC8156 device, the enhanced MSC8155 offers OEMs the scalability and connectivity they need for their common base station platforms.

The new DSP is designed to help original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) take full advantage of 3G-LTE, HSPA+ and WiMAX at very high throughput required for the most advanced 20 MHz 3G-LTE and HSPA+ basestations. The raw performance of the fully programmable cores and the MAPLE-B2L acceleration technology also eliminate the need to incorporate costly FPGAs or develop ASIC devices for 3G-LTE and WiMAX base stations.

The MSC8155 continues Freescale's demonstrated expertise in delivering DSP devices that support multiple standards to meet the base station requirements of today and tomorrow, said Will Strauss, president of Forward Concepts, a leading analyst firm tracking DSP technologies. “The flexibility of Freescale's enhanced MAPLE technology, together with the high performance of Freescale's StarCore technology, should prove appealing to OEMs looking to keep up with carrier and consumer demand for ever more bandwidth as smart mobile devices advance and the number of Internet users worldwide continues to explode.

The MSC8155 DSP is code- and pin-compatible with the MSC8156, thereby easing migration and allowing for deployment of both parts in a single wireless base station design. The versatility of the new DSP enables multi-standard software definable radio for common base station platforms and helps OEMs save operating expenses by taking advantage of core programmability and the multi-standard baseband accelerator.