NEC Electronics VR4300 Microprocessor Supports Windows CE
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — July 21, 1997 — NEC Electronics Inc. today announced that its widely used VR4300 MIPS(R) RISC microprocessor is now supported by the Microsoft Windows CE operating system (OS).
A 64-bit microprocessor currently available in 100 MHz and 133 MHz versions, the VR4300 device is one of the most powerful processors available to support Windows CE.
Versions of the VR4300 processor are widely used in consumer and office automation applications including the popular Nintendo 64(TM) video game and advanced laser printers such as the award-winning QMS 2425EX(TM) print system. Known for its Pentium(R)-level performance and sub-$ 30 price, the VR4300 device was named one of the "Hot 100" products of 1996 in a major trade journal.
Tethered or "plugged in" Windows CE applications such as network computers, television-based Web browsers, industrial controls and Internet phones are the target market for the powerful VR4300 device, the latest addition to the NEC Electronics VR-Series(TM) family of Windows CE-capable processors. Both current and future versions of the Windows CE operating system will be supported by the NEC VR4300 processor family. NEC Electronics also offers the power-saving VR4101(TM) and VR4102(TM) processors, which are designed for handheld, battery-operated Windows CE applications, such as the MobilePro(TM) handheld PC from NEC Computer Systems.
"By adding the proven VR4300 processor to our Windows CE lineup, NEC Electronics now offers systems designers a choice of processors for both tethered and mobile applications," said Karl Auker, senior manager of VR Series marketing for NEC Electronics. "With its outstanding price/performance and availability in volume, the VR4300 processor is the perfect choice for embedded Windows CE applications."
"With Windows CE, product designers can choose the components of the operating system that they need, for use with applications such as TV-based Web browsers that have a simple user interface," said Arnold Estep, VR Series marketing manager for NEC Electronics. "NEC's experience in Windows CE development, and the support we offer for the VR4300 processor, provides developers the necessary components they need to create performance-oriented, tethered Windows CE-based products."
"The NEC VR4300 processor is a key example of a technology that is important to the success of Windows CE in a rapidly expanding number of embedded applications," said Jon Magill, director of marketing for the Consumer Appliance Group at Microsoft. "Microsoft is excited about the introduction of Windows CE on the VR4300 processor. NEC Electronics has been a partner in the development of Windows CE since the launch of the platform, and we are pleased to see that they are now delivering a processor appropriate for tethered applications, as well as for handheld PCs."
About Windows CE
Windows CE is Microsoft's compact and portable operating system built from the ground up to be appropriate for a broad range of business and consumer devices that can communicate with each other, share information with Windows-based PCs, and connect to the Internet. Categories of devices for which Windows CE is suitable include small form-factor mobile computing devices such as handheld PCs, "wallet" PCs, wireless communications devices such as digital information pagers and cellular "smart" phones, next-generation entertainment and multimedia consoles, including DVD players, and purpose-built Internet access devices such as Internet TVs, digital set-top boxes and Internet "Web phones."
About the VR4300
As Windows CE is a highly portable operating system, the flexibility of the MIPS RISC architecture allows Windows CE code written for one VR-Series processor to be easily ported to another. The VR4300 processor is particularly well-suited for use in Microsoft's power-managed Windows CE OS, as the processor features two power-saving modes.
In the first, the processor enters into a standby mode where its clock speed and power consumption fall to one-quarter the full power mode (0.45 watts). During the second mode in longer periods of inactivity, the processor provides a sleep mode where it can "power down" to zero clock speed and power consumption. When reactivated, the processor's "instant on" capability brings it to its previous executing state quickly. The VR4300, in the 133 MHz version dissipates approximately 2.2 watts and operates at 3.3 volts.
NEC's VR4300 device is a 64-bit processor with 64-bit registers, data paths and buffers to ensure high-speed data movement within the chip. The 64-bit paths are particularly important for operations such as bit-stream decoding and matrix manipulation, core features in video and graphics processing. The VR4300 device also supports double-precision floating-point operation for outstanding graphics performance.
The VR4300 processor, which in the 133 MHz version boasts a performance of 170 Dhrystone MIPS, has a high-performance memory management unit (MMU) and also includes a high-throughput 32-bit external bus. Large on-chip caches (16 kilobytes instruction and 8 kilobytes data) provide higher performance for interactive applications by reducing the need for frequent memory accesses.
Built using advanced 0.35-micron drawn (0.27-micron effective) process technology, the VR4300 achieves a small 45 mm die size in the 133 MHz version. A uniquely unified architecture further reduces the processor's cost and size.
Packaged in a 120-pin PQFP, the VR4300/133 MHz processor sells for less than $ 30 per unit in 100,000-unit volumes. Pricing and availability are subject to change.
Windows CE Development Tools and Supporting Chipsets for the VR4300
Microsoft offers the Windows CE OEM Adaptation Kit (OAK) which provides the components of the Windows CE OS and sample drivers to system designers utilizing the VR4300 device, so OEMs can create the necessary drivers and software to support their system configuration and peripheral devices.
NEC's development board for the VR4300 processor supports development of applications based on Windows CE. NEC also supplies developers the Windows CE OEM Adaptation Layer (OAL) specific to NEC processors along with the development board. In addition, a newly announced single-chip VRC4373(TM) device, offering both local memory and PCI bus control for the VR4300 processor, will be available in October priced at $ 25 per unit in 10,000-unit quantities. Pricing and availability are subject to change.
A wide variety of embedded development tools is also available through NEC for development on the VR4300 platform. NEC's VR-Series Microprocessors
NEC licenses the MIPS RISC technology from the MIPS Group of Silicon Graphics, Inc. Based on this technology, NEC designs and manufactures the VR Series of high-performance microprocessors. The company offers a broad line of MIPS-based microprocessors, including the VR4100(TM), VR4101, VR4102, VR4300, VR4400(TM), VR5000(TM) and VR10000(TM).
About NEC Electronics Inc.
NEC Electronics Inc., headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., designs, manufactures and markets an extensive line of electronic products including ASICs, microprocessors and microcontrollers, 3D graphics accelerators, digital signal processors (DSPs), memories and components including flat panel displays. In 1996, the company ranked fourth in semiconductor sales in the U.S.1 The company operates a 709,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Roseville, Calif. NEC Electronics is an affiliate of NEC Corporation (NIPNY), a $ 41 billion international manufacturer of computer, communications and semiconductor products. For more information about products offered by NEC Electronics Inc., visit the NEC U.S. website at http://www.nec.com .
Note to Editors: NEC, VR Series, VRC4373, VR4000, VR4100, VR4101, VR4102, VR4300, VR4400, VR5000 and VR10000 are registered trademarks or trademarks of NEC Corp. MIPS is a registered trademark of MIPS Group, a division of Silicon Graphics, Inc. Windows and Windows CE are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Nintendo and Nintendo 64 are registered trademarks or trademarks of Nintendo. QMS, the QMS logo, Crown, CrownNet and CrownAdmin are registered trademarks or trademarks of QMS, Inc. Pentium is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.
For the VR-Series Microprocessor product names, the "R" should be written in subscript. (1)-According to Dataquest (4/97)
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