R3000
Encyclopedia
The R3000 is a microprocessor
chip set developed by MIPS Computer Systems that implemented the MIPS I instruction set architecture (ISA). Introduced in June 1988, it was the second MIPS implementation, succeeding the R2000
as the flagship MIPS microprocessor. It operated at 20, 25 and 33.33 MHz.
The R3000 found much success and was used by many companies in their workstations and servers. Users included:
The R3000 was also used as a high-end embedded microprocessor, and when advances in technology rendered it obsolete for high-performance systems, it was used as a low-cost embedded design. Companies such as LSI Logic developed derivatives of the R3000 specifically for embedded system
s.
The R3000 was a further development of the R2000
with minor improvements including larger translation lookaside buffer
and faster bus to the external caches. The R3000 die contained 115,000 transistors and measured 56 mm2. MIPS was a fabless semiconductor company, so the R3000 was fabricated by MIPS partners including Integrated Device Technology
(IDT), LSI Logic, NEC Corporation, Performance Semiconductor, etc. It was fabricated in a 1.2 µm complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) process with two levels of aluminium interconnect.
Derivatives of the R3000 for non-embedded applications include:
Derivatives of the R3000 for embedded applications include:
Microprocessor
A microprocessor incorporates the functions of a computer's central processing unit on a single integrated circuit, or at most a few integrated circuits. It is a multipurpose, programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and...
chip set developed by MIPS Computer Systems that implemented the MIPS I instruction set architecture (ISA). Introduced in June 1988, it was the second MIPS implementation, succeeding the R2000
R2000 (microprocessor)
The R2000 is a microprocessor chip set developed by MIPS Computer Systems that implemented the MIPS I instruction set architecture . Introduced in January 1986, it was the first commercial implementation of the MIPS architecture and the first merchant RISC processor available to all companies...
as the flagship MIPS microprocessor. It operated at 20, 25 and 33.33 MHz.
The R3000 found much success and was used by many companies in their workstations and servers. Users included:
- Ardent ComputerArdent ComputerThe Ardent Computer Corporation was a graphics minicomputer manufacturing company. The systems also used the Intel i860 as graphics co-processors. The company went through a series of mergers and re-organizations and changed names several times as their venture capital funders attempted to find a...
- Digital Equipment CorporationDigital Equipment CorporationDigital Equipment Corporation was a major American company in the computer industry and a leading vendor of computer systems, software and peripherals from the 1960s to the 1990s...
(DEC) for their DECstationDECstationThe DECstation was a brand of computers used by DEC, and refers to three distinct lines of computer systems—the first released in 1978 as a word processing system, and the latter two both released in 1989. These comprised a range of computer workstations based on the MIPS architecture and a...
workstations and multiprocessorMultiprocessorComputer system having two or more processing units each sharing main memory and peripherals, in order to simultaneously process programs.Sometimes the term Multiprocessor is confused with the term Multiprocessing....
DECsystemDECsystemDECsystem was a line of server computers from Digital Equipment Corporation. They were based on MIPS architecture processors and ran DEC's version of the UNIX operating system, called Ultrix...
servers - MIPS Computer Systems for their MIPS RISC/osMIPS RISC/osRISC/os was a UNIX operating system developed by MIPS Computer Systems, Inc. from 1985 to 1992 for their computer workstations and servers, such as the MIPS M/120 server or MIPS Magnum workstation. It was also known as UMIPS or MIPS OS....
Unix workstations and servers. - Prime ComputerPrime ComputerPrime Computer, Inc. was a Natick, Massachusetts-based producer of minicomputers from 1972 until 1992. The alternative spellings "PR1ME" and "PR1ME Computer" were used as brand names or logos by the company.-Founders:...
- Pyramid TechnologyPyramid TechnologyPyramid Technology Corporation was a computer company that produced a number of RISC-based minicomputers at the upper end of the performance range. They also became the second company to ship a multiprocessor Unix system , in 1985, which formed the basis of their product line into the early 1990s...
- Seiko EpsonSeiko Epson, commonly known as Epson, is a Japanese technology company and one of the world's largest manufacturers of computer printers, information and imaging related equipment...
- Silicon GraphicsSilicon GraphicsSilicon Graphics, Inc. was a manufacturer of high-performance computing solutions, including computer hardware and software, founded in 1981 by Jim Clark...
for their Professional IRIS, Personal IRIS and Indigo workstations, and the multiprocessor Power Series visualization systems - SonySony, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
for their PlayStationPlayStationThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
and PlayStation 2PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
(clocked at 37.5 MHz for use as an I/O CPU and at 33.8 MHz for compatibility with PlayStation games) video game consoles, and NEWSSony NEWSThe Sony NEWS was a series of BSD-based Unix workstations sold during the late 1980s and early 1990s. It originally came equipped with a dual 680x0 processor configuration running at 16-25 MHz, later shifting to the MIPS R3000 and R4000 RISC microprocessors...
workstations - Tandem ComputersTandem ComputersTandem Computers, Inc. was the dominant manufacturer of fault-tolerant computer systems for ATM networks, banks, stock exchanges, telephone switching centers, and other similar commercial transaction processing applications requiring maximum uptime and zero data loss. The company was founded in...
for their NonStop Cyclone/R and CLX/R fault-tolerant servers - Whitechapel Workstations for their Hitech-20 workstation
The R3000 was also used as a high-end embedded microprocessor, and when advances in technology rendered it obsolete for high-performance systems, it was used as a low-cost embedded design. Companies such as LSI Logic developed derivatives of the R3000 specifically for embedded system
Embedded system
An embedded system is a computer system designed for specific control functions within a larger system. often with real-time computing constraints. It is embedded as part of a complete device often including hardware and mechanical parts. By contrast, a general-purpose computer, such as a personal...
s.
The R3000 was a further development of the R2000
R2000 (microprocessor)
The R2000 is a microprocessor chip set developed by MIPS Computer Systems that implemented the MIPS I instruction set architecture . Introduced in January 1986, it was the first commercial implementation of the MIPS architecture and the first merchant RISC processor available to all companies...
with minor improvements including larger translation lookaside buffer
Translation Lookaside Buffer
A translation lookaside buffer is a CPU cache that memory management hardware uses to improve virtual address translation speed. All current desktop and server processors use a TLB to map virtual and physical address spaces, and it is ubiquitous in any hardware which utilizes virtual memory.The...
and faster bus to the external caches. The R3000 die contained 115,000 transistors and measured 56 mm2. MIPS was a fabless semiconductor company, so the R3000 was fabricated by MIPS partners including Integrated Device Technology
Integrated Device Technology
Integrated Device Technology, Inc. is a publicly traded corporation headquartered in San Jose, California, that designs, manufactures, and markets low-power, high-performance mixed-signal semiconductor solutions for the advanced communications, computing, and consumer industries. The company...
(IDT), LSI Logic, NEC Corporation, Performance Semiconductor, etc. It was fabricated in a 1.2 µm complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) process with two levels of aluminium interconnect.
Derivatives of the R3000 for non-embedded applications include:
- R3000A - A further development by MIPS introduced in 1989. It operated at high clock frequencies of 20, 25, 33.33 and 40 MHz.
- PR3400 - Developed by Performance Semiconductor, introduced in May 1991 at 25, 33 and 40 MHz. It is an integrated version containing the Performance Semiconductor PR3000A and PR3010A on a single die.
Derivatives of the R3000 for embedded applications include:
- PR31700 - A 75 MHz microcontroller from Philips Semiconductors. It is fabricated in a 0.35 μm process and is packaged in a 208-pin LQFP. It uses a 3.3 W power supply and dissipates 0.35 W.
- RISController - A family of low-end microcontrollers from IDT. Models include the R3041, R3051, R3052, and R3081.
- TX3900 - A microcontroller from Toshiba.
- Mongoose-VMongoose-VThe Mongoose-V 32-bit microprocessor for spacecraft onboard computer applications is a radiation-hardened and expanded 10–15 MHz version of the MIPS R3000 CPU. The Mongoose was developed by Synova, Inc...
- A radiation-hardened and expanded 10–15 MHz CPU for spacecraft onboard computers.
Further reading
- Chris Rowen, Mark Johnson, Paul Ries, "The MIPS R3010 Floating-Point Coprocessor," IEEE MicroIEEE MicroIEEE Micro is a broad-based practitioner-oriented magazine of the IEEE Computer Society targeting small system and semiconductor chip professionals, including electronic engineers, designers, architects, developers, process improvement experts, testers, quality engineers, and project managers...
, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 53–62, May/June 1988.