An architecture that will be the backbone for the SPEAr (Structured Processor Enhanced Architecture) family of embedded microprocessors, targeting high-performance connectivity and embedded applications has been announced by STMicroelectronics. The SPEAr1300 couples powerful dual ARM Cortex-A9 processors, running at 600MHz for 3000DMIPS-equivalent performance.The processors are manufactured in the company's low-power 55nm HCMOS (high-speed CMOS) process technology. The processors support symmetrical operation and use the company's 64bit AXI (AMBA3) bus Network-on-Chip technology for internal peripheral interconnect. This supports multiple traffic profiles and maximises data throughput, says the company. The integrated DDR3 memory controller and connectivity peripherals like PCIe, SATA, USB and Ethernet make the processor suitable for networking, thin client, videoconferencing, network-attached storage), computer peripherals, and factory automation.There is DRAM and L2 cache with error correction code and an accelerator coherence port. The architecture boast 256bit key encryption and decryption and 1.3million gates of configurable logic.
