IMEC unveils tools to speed design of energy-efficient multi-processor SoC platforms

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS CONFERENCE 2009 – SAN JOSE, CA – March 31, 2009 – IMEC,
Europe’s leading independent nanoelectronics research institute, unveils a
suite of tools and methods to optimize the mapping of applications on
embedded multiprocessor system-on-chip (MPSoC) platforms. These result in
systems that are more energy-efficient and that can be designed faster,
leading to a shorter time-to-market. IMEC’s MPSoC tools are intended for
companies that design multicore platforms for tomorrow’s nomadic and
multimedia applications. They are offered under a technology transfer or
license agreement.

The first industrial multiprocessor system-on-chip (MPSoC) platforms have
already found their way into embedded systems for advanced entertainment
and communication platforms. In addition, the ever increasing performance
hunger of battery-operated embedded devices, such as cell phones or
portable media players, also calls for multi-core architectures. But
mapping applications efficiently on MPSoC remains challenging. Due to the
vastness and complexity of the design space, i.e. the number of design
options, this task is virtually impossible without the proper tool support.

The IMEC MPSoC technology provides solutions by focusing on design-time
application mapping. The technology’s two main threads offer support for
fast parallelization (with the Multi-processor Parallelization Assistant
tool) and support for memory hierarchy optimizations (with the Memory
Hierarchy tool).

IMEC’s tools, methods, and associated services have a proven industrial
strength. They have been used by IMEC’s industrial partners for commercial
embedded systems as well as for in-house IMEC MPSoC implementations, e.g.
IMEC’s advanced multi-core platform for software-defined radio and a
multi-core multi-media platform using 6 of IMEC’s ADRES processor cores.
Interested companies may license the tools, or acquire them under a
technology transfer agreement.

The URL for this release is
http://www2.imec.be/imec_com/tools-design-energy-efficient-multi-processor-
mpsoc.php

About IMEC
IMEC is a world-leading independent research center in nanoelectronics and
nanotechnology. Its research focuses on the next generations of chips and
systems, and on the enabling technologies for ambient intelligence. IMEC’s
research bridges the gap between fundamental research at universities and
technology development in industry. Its unique balance of processing and
system know-how, intellectual property portfolio, state-of-the-art
infrastructure and its strong network of companies, universities and
research institutes worldwide position IMEC as a key partner for shaping
technologies for future systems.

IMEC vzw is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium, has a sister company in the
Netherlands, IMEC-NL, offices in the US, China and Taiwan, and
representatives in Japan. Its staff of more than 1650 people includes 600
industrial residents and guest researchers. In 2008, its revenue (P&L) was
estimated to EUR 264 million. Further information on IMEC can be found at
www.imec.be.

Contacts:
IMEC : Katrien Marent, Director of External Communications, T: +32 16 28 18
80, katrien.marent {at} imec(.)be

Barbara Kalkis, Maestro Marketing & PR, T : +1 408 996 9975,
kkalkis {at} compuserve(.)com