PicoChip
Encyclopedia
Picochip is a venture-backed fabless semiconductor company
based in Bath, England, founded in 2000.
The company is active in two areas, with two distinct product families.
, the picoArray. This integrates 250-300 individual DSP cores onto a single die (depending on the specific product). Each of these cores is a 16-bit processor with Harvard architecture
, local memory and 3-way VLIW
.
The company has four products currently available (PC102 and PC202 / 203 / 205) which deliver approximately 40 GMACS
and 200 GIPS
of performance.
The programming model allows each processor to be coded independently (in ANSI C
or assembler
) and then to communicate over an any:any interconnect mesh. The communication flows are fixed at compile time, not dynamically at run time (analogous to place & route
of an FPGA
but at higher level of abstraction). This can be described as communicating sequential processes
. Each process maps to a processor, which is fully independent from other processors with "encapsulation", with interaction only through defined message passing
and data flows through the mesh. This architecture is also related to object-oriented programming
concepts. Notably, the development environment is deterministic: simulation of code is cycle-accurate to hardware execution. Advantages claimed include ease of development, improved reliability of code and software-reuse.
Although the picoArray architecture is generic and could in principle be used for any DSP application, the company has stated its strategy is to focus on wireless infrastructure. In particular, the processor is widely used for baseband processing in WiMAX
base stations and for femtocell
s.
Independent benchmarks of representative communications systems by Berkeley Design (BDTI) indicate that the picoArray delivers significantly better performance-per-dollar than traditional single-core DSP devices.
The company was a founder member of the Femto Forum, and is on the executive board of that organisation.
, AT&T
, Highland Capital Partners
, Intel Capital, Pond Venture Partners, Rothschild
, Samsung
and Scottish Equity Partners
. There are also undisclosed strategic investors.
As of November 2009 the company had raised a total of $90M in venture funding.
Fabless semiconductor company
A fabless semiconductor company specializes in the design and sale of hardware devices and semiconductor chips while outsourcing the fabrication or "fab" of the devices to a specialized manufacturer called a semiconductor foundry...
based in Bath, England, founded in 2000.
The company is active in two areas, with two distinct product families.
Multi-core DSP
Picochip has developed a multi-core digital signal processorDigital signal processor
A digital signal processor is a specialized microprocessor with an architecture optimized for the fast operational needs of digital signal processing.-Typical characteristics:...
, the picoArray. This integrates 250-300 individual DSP cores onto a single die (depending on the specific product). Each of these cores is a 16-bit processor with Harvard architecture
Harvard architecture
The Harvard architecture is a computer architecture with physically separate storage and signal pathways for instructions and data. The term originated from the Harvard Mark I relay-based computer, which stored instructions on punched tape and data in electro-mechanical counters...
, local memory and 3-way VLIW
Very long instruction word
Very long instruction word or VLIW refers to a CPU architecture designed to take advantage of instruction level parallelism . A processor that executes every instruction one after the other may use processor resources inefficiently, potentially leading to poor performance...
.
The company has four products currently available (PC102 and PC202 / 203 / 205) which deliver approximately 40 GMACS
Multiply-accumulate
In computing, especially digital signal processing, the multiply–accumulate operation is a common step that computes the product of two numbers and adds that product to an accumulator. The hardware unit that performs the operation is known as a multiplier–accumulator ; the operation itself is also...
and 200 GIPS
Instructions per second
Instructions per second is a measure of a computer's processor speed. Many reported IPS values have represented "peak" execution rates on artificial instruction sequences with few branches, whereas realistic workloads typically lead to significantly lower IPS values...
of performance.
The programming model allows each processor to be coded independently (in ANSI C
ANSI C
ANSI C refers to the family of successive standards published by the American National Standards Institute for the C programming language. Software developers writing in C are encouraged to conform to the standards, as doing so aids portability between compilers.-History and outlook:The first...
or assembler
Assembly language
An assembly language is a low-level programming language for computers, microprocessors, microcontrollers, and other programmable devices. It implements a symbolic representation of the machine codes and other constants needed to program a given CPU architecture...
) and then to communicate over an any:any interconnect mesh. The communication flows are fixed at compile time, not dynamically at run time (analogous to place & route
Place and route
Place and route is a stage in the design of printed circuit boards, integrated circuits, and field-programmable gate arrays. As implied by the name, it is composed of two steps, placement and routing. The first step, placement, involves deciding where to place all electronic components, circuitry,...
of an FPGA
Field-programmable gate array
A field-programmable gate array is an integrated circuit designed to be configured by the customer or designer after manufacturing—hence "field-programmable"...
but at higher level of abstraction). This can be described as communicating sequential processes
Communicating sequential processes
In computer science, Communicating Sequential Processes is a formal language for describing patterns of interaction in concurrent systems. It is a member of the family of mathematical theories of concurrency known as process algebras, or process calculi...
. Each process maps to a processor, which is fully independent from other processors with "encapsulation", with interaction only through defined message passing
Message passing
Message passing in computer science is a form of communication used in parallel computing, object-oriented programming, and interprocess communication. In this model, processes or objects can send and receive messages to other processes...
and data flows through the mesh. This architecture is also related to object-oriented programming
Object-oriented programming
Object-oriented programming is a programming paradigm using "objects" – data structures consisting of data fields and methods together with their interactions – to design applications and computer programs. Programming techniques may include features such as data abstraction,...
concepts. Notably, the development environment is deterministic: simulation of code is cycle-accurate to hardware execution. Advantages claimed include ease of development, improved reliability of code and software-reuse.
Although the picoArray architecture is generic and could in principle be used for any DSP application, the company has stated its strategy is to focus on wireless infrastructure. In particular, the processor is widely used for baseband processing in WiMAX
WiMAX
WiMAX is a communication technology for wirelessly delivering high-speed Internet service to large geographical areas. The 2005 WiMAX revision provided bit rates up to 40 Mbit/s with the 2011 update up to 1 Gbit/s for fixed stations...
base stations and for femtocell
Femtocell
In telecommunications, a femtocell is a small cellular base station, typically designed for use in a home or small business. It connects to the service provider’s network via broadband ; current designs typically support 2 to 4 active mobile phones in a residential setting, and 8 to 16 active...
s.
Independent benchmarks of representative communications systems by Berkeley Design (BDTI) indicate that the picoArray delivers significantly better performance-per-dollar than traditional single-core DSP devices.
Femtocells
Picochip was one of the first companies to be active in femtocells, and demonstrated a prototype at MWC2005. The company has since developed a range of system-on-chip (SoC) products named "picoXcell".The company was a founder member of the Femto Forum, and is on the executive board of that organisation.
Corporate
Investors include Atlas VentureAtlas Venture
Atlas Venture is an international early-stage venture capital firm that invests in communications, information technology, and life sciences companies. From the late 1990s through the mid-2000s the firm was leading investor in startup companies in both the U.S. and Europe...
, AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
, Highland Capital Partners
Highland Capital Partners
Highland Capital Partners is a venture capital firm that focuses on investments in seed, early, and growth stage companies in the communications, consumer, digital media, healthcare, and information technology sectors. The firm's partners include: Peter Bell, Sean Dalton, Bob Davis, Richard de...
, Intel Capital, Pond Venture Partners, Rothschild
N M Rothschild & Sons
N M Rothschild & Sons is a private investment banking company, belonging to the Rothschild family...
, Samsung
Samsung
The Samsung Group is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea...
and Scottish Equity Partners
Scottish Equity Partners
Scottish Equity Partners is a leading independent owner managed venture capital and growth equity firm. It invests in innovative, high growth companies in the information technology, healthcare and energy technology sectors...
. There are also undisclosed strategic investors.
As of November 2009 the company had raised a total of $90M in venture funding.