专为嵌入式应用开发 MPPA 多核处理器的无晶圆厂IC设计公司Kalray SA近日宣布，现可开始提供内含256颗处理器核心的 28nm MPPA-256晶片样品。
该处理器据称能以较其它处理器更低的功耗提供每秒高达5，000亿次的运算处理性能。该元件主要针对图像处理、信号处理、控制、通讯以及数据安全等嵌入式应用。
MPPA-256 晶片设计主要由Kalray与台湾创意电子（Global Unichip Corp.）携手合作，并由台积电进行制造。
Kalray宣布第一批投入量产的产品是针对图像应用的处理器。预计在2012年11月完成产品合格认证。
Kalray公司成立于2008年，是由法国投资基金、地方基金、私人投资者和法国公共部门机构OSEO共同资助；该公司CEO Joel Monnier曾任意法半导体（ST Microelectronics）研发副总裁。Kalray在2008年7月成立时已募得超过2，000万美元的创投资金。该公司并声称至今已累积45项专利组合。
Kalray处理器核心采用专有的 VLIW 架构与先进的低功耗设计技术，并整合高性能IEEE 754浮点单元。 MPPA-256 的256个处理器以16颗为一个单元组成16个丛集排列，通过晶片内的网络彼此通讯，如同网络上大型电脑集群一样。多个 MPPA 晶片可通过 Interlaken 总线在PCB板级实现互连，以提高处理器阵列的规模与性能。
除了 MPPA 处理器以外，Kalray并为客户提供了软件开发环境，称为 AccessCore 。Kaleay还提供 GNU C / C++ 开发工具与软件库，包括任务和数据平行基础。 AccessCore 开发环境提供一个基于C语言的编程模型，包括 Linux 支持的传统功能，以及更高层次的数据环境。标准 GCC 和 GDB 技术用于编译与除错。
Kalray在一份声明中说：「Kalray的技术持续与几个垂直市场的多家OEM夥伴以及第三方软件供应商共同开发，」Kalray公司CEO Joel Monnier在一份声明中表示。「我们的第一款处理器实现了每秒5，000亿次运算的全域处理性能，而其功耗也较竞争解决方案更低。」
LONDON – Kalray SA, the well-supported French launching a parallel processing chip and software, has 25 customers and is hopeful of winning more in Germany and Japan, according to CEO Joel Monnier.
Monnier told EE Times that the 28-nm MPPA-256 processor from Kalray (Orsay, France), with its 16 clusters of 16 VLIW processors on-chip, is well-suited to imaging applications such as graphics computation and image recognition and is also being used as a platform for video compression and transcoding.
High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) is a video standard, currently being developed by a joint team between MPEG and VCEG. The finalized HEVC standard is expected to bring 50 percent bitrate savings compared to equivalent H.264/AVC encodings. HEVC should be ready for ratification by ISO and ITU as H.265 by the end of January 2013.
For broadcast applications algorithms such advanced codings are typically done on FPGAs but Monnier said that MPPA-256 processor die size is smaller than leading FPGAs and more power efficient for such tasks. “We also have a very good position in augmented reality,” said Monnier, who prior to serving Kalray was corporate vice president at STMicroelectronics NV in charge of R&D from 1989 to 2004.
Kalray has just announced that it can supply samples of the 28-nm MPPA-256 processor and Monnier said that the chips would be in use by customers before the end of the year. “We have 25 customers developing applications based on Kalray. This is mainly in Europe because of close relationships in France. We have good prospects in Japan and we want to be in the United States in the first quarter of 2013.”
Other applications include signal processing of various types, including military tasks, data security support and scientific applications. Other applications such as EDA software acceleration are under discussion, Monnier said.
Monnier stressed that although Kalray is just starting out in a number of professional-class applications where chip volumes are not as large as in consumer applications its foundry supplier TSMC has been very supportive. “We are not a small volume chip company although it may take one, two, three years to become accepted in different markets,” Monnier said. “We started out two years ago with MPW [multiproject wafer] runs to do test circuits but this chip [MPPA-256] is based on a full mask set for Kalray.
Monnier said he did not regret leaving off a mainstream processor, such as an ARM core for housekeeping, off the chip or to ease integration with other computational units. “It’s not an issue for Kalray. Linux is running on the processor,” he said. He added that the software development support that makes MPPA-256 easy to use and program is an important part of the company’s offering. “We have a C-like language for dataflow applications and can run it intermixed with C/C++ routines. The chip also has ample I/O channels including multiple DDR, PCI and Interlaken interfaces.
But that could expose one problem. It may be hard for the MPPA-256 to achieve its theoretical maximum performance of 500-GOPS with the quoted typical 5-W power consumption. Monnier admitted that with all the I/O going there could be instantaneous demands that would push the device. “Everything going at full speed could be 30 to 40 watts,” he said.
Kalray has a roadmap that includes the MPPA-512 and MPPA-1024 chips with corresponding increases in the processing core count but he declined to forecast when, or in what process technology, they would arrive. Instead he emphasized derivatives of the MPPA-256. “There will be some derivatives of the basic product to make them more specific for different applications.
Kalray is also expecting to make sales of board-level and boxed products that can act as accelerators for connection to a desktop computer or server.
“Early next year we will offer a Kalray developer board with one MPPA-256 with an Intel motherboard as a development tool for customers. Another board will have multiple MPPA chips, a minimum of four, maybe six,” said Monnier. After nearly four years in development sales traction for the 50-person team will, no doubt, be welcome.
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