IDE Software enables S6000-based application development.
Press Release Summary:
Supporting S6000 series software-configurable processors, Stretch v2007.06 unifies development of C/C++ application software to program processors and automatically configure Instruction Set Extension Fabric with application-specific instructions. Integrated Design Environment (IDE) development tools enable immediate S6000-based application development utilizing technologies such as second-generation Instruction Set Extension Fabric, Processor Array, and Programmable Accelerator.
Original Press Release:
Stretch Announces Development Tools for the S6000 Family of Software Configurable Processors
SUNNYVALE, Calif., July 2 -- Stretch Inc., the pioneer and leader in software configurable processors, today announced the availability of release 2007.06 of the Stretch Integrated Design Environment (IDE) development tools with support for the S6000 family of software configurable processors. The S6000 family offers unmatched price/performance in video and wireless signal processing. This latest release of tools allows customers to immediately begin S6000 application development and take full advantage of the S6000 family's key technology innovations: the second-generation Instruction Set Extension Fabric (ISEF), the Processor Array, and the Programmable Accelerator.
"Engineers can now explore the benefits of Stretch's next generation of software configurable processors," said Bob Beachler, Stretch's vice president of marketing. "With this release, engineers can develop their own custom instructions in C/C++ to take advantage of the 3x faster ISEF performance and the ISEF RAM (IRAM) memory structures in the S6000 Family."
New Algorithms for Second Generation ISEF
Software configurable processors achieve their high performance by "crushing" software hot spots -- sequences of operations that get executed many times -- into single instructions executed in the ISEF -- a programmable fabric within the data path of the processor. With the 2007.06 release, Stretch has added new algorithms to take advantage of enhancements in the S6000's second generation ISEF, such as the abundance of pipelining registers to increase throughput performance. The S6000 ISEF also features dedicated memory blocks, and the tools provide intuitive ways to stream data to these distributed memory blocks through either direct addressing or direct-memory access (DMA) BIOS calls.
Pre-developed Routines for Revolutionary Processor Array Technology
The S6000 Family features Processor Array Technology, enabling system architects to intuitively scale their designs into high-performance, multi- processor systems. To utilize the dedicated high-speed links and network interface designed into S6000 devices, Stretch includes a Processor Array Basic Input Output System (PA-BIOS) with this release of the Stretch IDE. Using the rich library of supplied PA-BIOS calls, programmers can dedicate tasks, establish communication channels between processors, and share resources between processors. The PA-BIOS routine provides a programming model that enables customers to use a unified memory architecture and easily scale to a multi-processor configuration.
Programmable Accelerator Programming Adds Additional Performance Boost
The Programmable Accelerator within S6000 devices offers a secondary processor with accelerated instructions of key wireless and video processing functions such as motion estimation, encryption, entropy encoding, and audio codecs. The 2007.06 release offers full programming support for the Programmable Accelerator.
About the Stretch IDE
The Stretch IDE unifies the development of C/C++ application software to program its processors and automatically configure its Instruction Set Extension Fabric with powerful, application-specific instructions. The tools provide complete project management, compilation, profiling, instruction set simulation, and application debug. The tools support compiling code targeting via one of three targets: the "native" mode for functional application simulation, instruction set simulator (ISS) mode for cycle accurate simulations, or a mode that directly targets silicon.
Pricing and Availability
The 2007.06 Stretch IDE release is available now. List price for a single development seat is $900. Please contact Stretch at 1-408-543-2700 or email sales@stretchinc.com for more information or access.
About Stretch
Stretch Inc. is delivering a family of software-configurable processors, the first to embed programmable logic within the processor. Using familiar C/C++ programming tools, system developers automatically configure Stretch's off-the-shelf processors to achieve extraordinary performance, easy and rapid development, significant cost savings, and flexibility to address diverse markets and changing application needs. Founded in March 2002, Stretch is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, and has been funded through investments from Worldview Technology Partners, Oak Investment Partners and Menlo Ventures. For more information, visit www.stretchinc.com.
Stretch, the Stretch logo and Extending the Possibilities are registered trademarks of Stretch Inc
