French embedded multicore chip designer ships first 28nm samples
The first products to be ramped in volume will be processors for signal processing in an imaging application. Product qualification is scheduled for completion in November.
Kalray is a fabless semiconductor and software company started in 2008 that is developing a multicore processor architecture for imaging, telecommunication infrastructures, data security and network appliances embedded applications.
The MPPA Multi-Purpose Processor Array solves two major challenges of multi-core processing: the energy efficiency as well as the software scalability.The first MPPA-256 processor integrates 256 processors with a proprotary VLIW architecture onto a single chip through a high bandwidth Network on Chip, organized as 16 clusters of 16 processors. Multiple MPPA chips can be interconnected at the PCB level through Interlaken interfaces to increase the processor array size and performance capability.
Led by Joël Monnier, former vice president of STMicroelectronics, Kalray employs 55 engineers and is backed by French investment funds, local funds, private investors, and OSEO, a French public-sector institution who finance innovative projects brought by SME’s. "Kalray’s technology has been developed with many OEM partners across several vertical markets, as well as partnering with third party software vendors,” said Monnier. “Our first processor achieves a global processing power of 500 billion operations per second, along with a much lower power consumption than competitive solutions. Embedded designers will get the benefit of high processing power, low power consumption and high level programming to develop innovative applications in the fields of image processing, signal processing, control, communications and data security. The access cost of MPPA processors makes them optimum for all low to medium volume applications.”
The MPPA-256 is manufactured in 28nm by TSMC with the lowest power consumption, with Global Unichip providing design support as well as logistical support and the manufacturing interface. A key reason for the efficiency of the MPPA-256 device comes from early access to TSMC’s 28nm High Performance process.
“Kalray has developed a world beating technology for Multi-Purpose Processor Arrays which addresses real-world needs in signal processing while delivering the performance this market requires,” said Maria Marced, President, TSMC Europe. “Innovation in Europe is clearly demonstrated by Kalray’s 28nM design. We are pleased to be part of this success story, and the release to production marks a major milestone in the collaboration between Kalray, GUC and TSMC.”
www.kalray.eu
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