World's First MIPS-Based, FPGA-Optimised Soft Core Processor

Date: 27/7/2011

- Industry's First FPGA-based Soft Processor Supported by Wind River's VxWorks RTOS

Altera Corporation and its partners MIPS Technologies and System Level Solutions have introduced a MIPS-Based™, FPGA-optimised 'soft' processor  for use with Altera FPGA and ASIC devices. According to David Thomas, Strategic Business Director with Ismosys, Altera’s sales and marketing representative in Benelux, software developers using the new MP32 soft-core processor are able to take full advantage of MIPS' extensive ecosystem of software development tools and operating systems: “The new soft-core processor is supported by the MIPS Navigator ICS software development suite and System Navigator EJTAG debug probes. For debug and trace, the MP32 processor is supported by TRACE32, a best-in-class debug and off-chip trace probe from Lauterbach”, Thomas said. “And for the first time, developers can run Wind River’s VxWorks RTOS on an FPGA-optimised soft-core processor.”

Familiar and Proven Software Development Tools
The MP32 applications class soft-core processor inherits one of the largest ecosystems of software development tools and operating system support and is the industry's first FPGA-based soft-core processor to be supported by Wind River's VxWorks RTOS and the MIPS Navigator ICS software development suite. Used in combination with Altera's broad portfolio of embedded intellectual property (IP) cores, innovative FPGA design tools and programmable logic devices, the MP32 is the ideal 'soft' processor choice for engineers developing flexible, single-chip solutions for use in networking, video and digital signal processing applications .

The MP32 processor is designed to be used with Altera's Qsys system integration tool. System architects can quickly and easily construct complex, flexible and differentiated solutions by assembling the MP32 processor with a broad portfolio of embedded, networking, video and digital signal processing IP from Altera and its global IP partners. A video highlighting the design flow for the MP32 processor with Qsys system integration platform is available for viewing at http://www.altera.com/mp32video..

The MP32 soft core processor is distributed and supported through Altera Embedded Alliance partner System Level Solutions Corp. http://www.slscorp.com