Designing SOCs with Configured Cores: Unleashing the Tensilica Xtensa and Diamond Cores

Chapter 8: The Diamond 212GP Controller Core

The name Jeep came from the abbreviation used by the army for General Purpose vehicle, G.P.

OVERVIEW

The Diamond 212GP controller core is a general-purpose, 32-bit RISC processor core. Like the Diamond 108Mini core, the Diamond 212GP controller has interfaces for local instruction and data memories but it also includes a cache controller that operates 8-Kbyte, 2-way set-associative instruction and data caches for efficient execution of large programs. Even with the addition of a cache controller, the processor consumes 0.7mm 2 of silicon and 195 W/MHz when implemented with a 130nm, G-type (general-purpose) process technology. The Diamond 212GP controller core brings many performance benefits of a 32-bit RISC processor to bear on the designated tasks:

  • Large 4-Gbyte address space

  • 32-bit computations

  • Large 32-entry register file

  • Separate 8-Kbyte, 2-way, set-associative instruction and data caches

  • 5-stage pipelined operation resulting in a 250-MHz maximum clock rate in 130nm technology.

The Diamond 212GP controller core has a 32-bit version of the general-purpose processor interface (PIF) bus for global SOC communications. An optional AMBA bus bridge supplied with the 232L processor core adapts the PIF to peripheral devices designed for the AMBA AHB-Lite bus. Like the Diamond 108Mini processor core, the Diamond 212GP core has interfaces for local instruction and data RAMs. However, instead of two data-RAM interfaces like the Diamond 108Mini core, the Diamond 212GP controller core has one data-RAM interface and an XLMI interface port. The XLMI port can be used as a data-RAM interface but it includes...

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Category: Microprocessor Chips (MPU)
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