Cadence launches the new Tensilica FloatingPoint DSP series, providing scalable performance for a wide range of computationally intensive applications

Low-energy DSP IP can optimize power consumption, performance, and area, reducing the area by up to 40% for products in the mobile, automotive, consumer electronics, and hyper-scale computing markets.

Shanghai, China, June 18, 2021-Kadence Electronics (Cadence, USA, NASDAQ: CDNS) today released the Cadence âTensilicaâ FloaTIngPoint DSP series. This series provides a scalable and configurable solution for floating-point calculation design. The new DSP IP core is optimized for power consumption, performance, and area (PPA), suitable for small, ultra-low power, and even ultra-high-performance applications, including batteries in mobile, automotive, ultra-large-scale computing and consumer markets Energy-saving solutions for power supply equipment, as well as artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML), motor control, sensor fusion, object tracking, and augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) applications.

The new series includes four core products: Tensilica FloaTIngPoint KP1 DSP, Tensilica FloaTIngPoint KP6 DSP, Tensilica FloaTIngPoint KQ7 DSP, and Tensilica FloatingPoint KQ8 DSP. It has been recognized by early customers, and the new series of products brings significant advantages to customers in terms of power consumption, performance, and area (PPA).

"Floating point data is very common in technical calculations and supports radar applications that process large or unpredictable data sets. We have successfully cooperated with Cadence on multiple generations of Cadence IP cores. Market demand and expanded the proven Tensilica product line.” Ian Podkamien, Vayyar Imaging’s vice president and head of the automotive department, said, “FloatingPoint DSP optimized for various applications can support Vayyar’s system-on-chip sensors to improve automotive and elderly care. Energy efficiency and performance of industrial applications such as smart home, retail, HLS, robotics, and medical. ”

Tensilica FloatingPoint DSP shares a common instruction set architecture (ISA) with the optional Vector Floating Point Unit (VFPU) of the existing Tensilica DSP, which improves the portability and reusability of the software, while easily alleviating floating-point workloads. Both Tensilica Xtensa® LX and NX platforms can be extended from 128-bit SIMD to 1024-bit SIMD. Compared with Tensilica fixed-point DSP with VFPU add-on components, the new FloatingPoint DSP has improved performance in FMA operations by 25%. %, which helps to improve the throughput of operations. At the same time, the use of Tensilica instruction extension (TIE) language can further enhance and distinguish performance. In addition, compared with similar fixed-point DSPs with VFPU, FloatingPoint DSP can reduce the area by up to 40%.

The high-performance software tools included with the new DSP provide effective automatic vectorization, which helps to optimize the scalar code, and the vector floating-point unit can be used with minimal manual operation or even no manual operation. Supports optimized Eigen, NatureDSP, synchronous positioning and mapping (SLAM), and mathematical software libraries, making it easier to develop high-performance software. Tensilica FloatingPoint DSP provides a software development environment that can seamlessly migrate existing floating-point general-purpose software between the new Tensilica FloatingPoint DSP and the same series of FloatingPoint DSPs.

"Nowadays, floating-point data has been widely used in modern computing for various computationally intensive applications, and the market's demand for floating-point processing is growing." Larry Przywara, senior director of product marketing for Tensilica, Cadence, said, "To develop competitive Differentiated products are in urgent need of energy-efficient, low-cost, high-performance DSP designed specifically for floating-point-centric computing. The scalable Tensilica FloatingPoint DSP series is suitable for various applications and can provide the best for these floating-point calculations. Good PPA. The DSP series also once again demonstrates how Cadence applies its computing software capabilities to hardware to help customers meet design challenges.

Tensilica FloatingPoint DSP supports Cadence's Intelligent System Design Ô (Intelligent System Design™) strategy, which can help customers achieve excellent system-on-chip designs. Tensilica FloatingPoint KP1 DSP, Tensilica FloatingPoint KP6 DSP, Tensilica FloatingPoint KQ7 DSP, and Tensilica FloatingPoint KQ8 DSP are available now.