ORLANDO, Florida (Freescale Technology Forum) – June 22, 2010 – Projections that global Internet traffic will grow fourfold over the next five years will require network equipment to manage significantly more connections and subscribers, even as the diversity of network traffic expands dramatically. Meanwhile, service providers are looking to network equipment manufacturers to deliver communications gear that generates far more bandwidth capacity, while simultaneously lowering capital and operating expenditures.
To help OEMs and service providers address these challenges, Freescale Semiconductor introduces a new QorIQ™ 64-bit platform based on Power Architecture® technology featuring the e5500 core, engineered for next-generation, high-end control and data plane applications in networking, enterprise storage, security appliance, data center and aerospace/defense markets. The initial products to incorporate e5500 technology are the single-core 64-bit P5010 and dual-core 64-bit P5020 processors.
Delivering twice the performance of Freescale’s e500 core, the e5500 architecture is designed to reach frequencies up to 2.5 GHz. It is based on e500 core technology and can run either in 64-bit or 32-bit mode, thus allowing legacy software support while providing an easy transition to 64-bit processing.
In addition to powering P5 level products, 64-bit e5500 cores will be incorporated into future generations of QorIQ architectures. The new core includes enhancements to support many-core SoC implementations, as well as heterogeneous multicore processors which integrate StarCore and Power Architecture technologies in the same device.
“The advances we have achieved with our e5500 64-bit core define the benchmark for embedded power efficiency by providing a unique combination of integration and performance within extremely aggressive power envelopes,” said Lisa Su, senior vice president and general manager of Freescale’s Networking and Multimedia Group. “Freescale’s new e5500 platform opens up a new level of performance for multicore solutions that will power next-generation networks.”
Based on the Power Architecture Instruction Set (ISA) v2.06 and designed for compatibility with future generations of QorIQ products, e5500 technology features:
1. A 7-stage pipeline with out-of-order execution
2. Increased flat addressable memory space up to 64GB
3. High performance classic Floating Point Unit (FPU) supporting IEEE 754 Floating Point Operations
4. Hybrid 32-bit mode to support legacy software and transition to 64-bit architecture
5. L1 cache, backside L2 cache plus shared L3 cache
“The new 64-bit e5500 platform underscores Freescale’s commitment to higher performance within a tight 30W power envelope for control plane applications,” said Linley Gwennap, principal analyst of The Linley Group. “With its 64-bit P5 products and the new P3 level 32-bit quad-core offerings, Freescale is delivering on its QorIQ roadmap and setting the stage for future generations of embedded multicore processors.”
QorIQ P5020 and P5010 communications processors
The new P5020 and P5010 processors offer Freescale’s highest single-threaded performance for next-generation embedded control plane applications. With frequencies scaling to 2.2 GHz, the P5020 delivers an impressive 13,200 DMIPs in 30 Watts. Both devices are pin-compatible with P4 and P3 platform products to provide seamless roadmap scalability from two 2.2 GHz cores up to four and eight 1.5 GHz cores.
Manufactured in 45nm process technology, the P5020 and P5010 devices integrate new intellectual property. A RAID 5/6 engine accelerates parity calculations for storage applications, making it ideal for enterprise storage area networks (SAN) and enterprise network attached storage (NAS) solutions. An upgraded Serial RapidIO (v1.3 + 2.1) supports higher bandwidth, and a message manager introduces support for Type 9 (data streaming) and improves Type 11 (messaging) transactions. The P5020 also offers integrated SATA 2.0, PCI-E Gen 2 controllers, 10 Gigabit Ethernet, 5x SGMII/2.5 Gbps SGMII, and two USB 2.0 with integrated PHYs, to provide a highly integrated, high performance processor ideal for networking, industrial and data center applications.
While many current 32-bit systems have become memory bound, the P5020 increases the flat addressable memory space to 64GB. For industrial customers requiring additional floating point performance, the P5020 offers an IEEE® Standard 754 floating point unit, providing 2x single precision and 4x floating point performance over previous e500 products.
Comprehensive ecosystem
Freescale enables a wide ecosystem of third-party software to simplify product development and speed time to market. Customers can start their 64-bit designs prior to first silicon with simulation platforms and CodeWarrior tools. 32-bit and 64-bit software solutions are expected to be available from a broad set of ecosystem partners including Enea®, Green Hills®, Mentor Graphics®, Wind River®, CodeSourcery™, QNX® and others. Freescale VortiQa application software is also planned for P5 platform products.
Availability
Simulated models of the P5020 and P5010 are planned for availability in July 2010. Initial samples are planned for availability in Q4 2010, and qualification is expected in 2H 2011.
About QorIQ communications platforms
Freescale QorIQ communications platforms are the next-generation evolution of Freescale’s leading PowerQUICC communications processors. Built using high-performance Power Architecture cores, Freescale QorIQ platforms enable a new era of networking innovation where the reliability, security and quality of service for every connection matters. The Freescale QorIQ platforms and roadmap consist of five platforms (P1, P2, P3, P4 and P5) that include single-, dual- and many cores to offer customers a choice of solutions, whether they are ready to move to multicore today or want a smart migration path to get there in the future. For more information about QorIQ platforms, visit www.freescale.com/multicore.
Supporting quotes from Freescale ecosystem members follow
Enea
“As a strategic alliance partner, Enea is committed to provide early availability of Enea’s world class operating system technology for new Freescale QorIQ devices, including those based on the new, groundbreaking 64-bit e5500 core,” said Mathias Bath, senior vice president of Marketing at Enea. “Close collaboration between Freescale and Enea will ensure developers and system designers have a highly integrated and optimized solution for realizing the potential of this powerful 64-bit core.”
Green Hills Software
“Freescale’s 64-bit QorIQ e5500 platform is a significant leap forward for the embedded market,” said Dan Mender, vice president of Business Development for Green Hills Software. “The platform is fully supported by a 64-bit implementation of the Green Hills INTEGRITY® RTOS including secure Virtualization, MULTI® debug tools, and Super Trace Probe™.”
Mentor Graphics
“With the introduction of Freescale’s first 64-bit processor, the QorIQ P5020, Mentor Graphics is proud to provide our mutual customers with our fully-supported commercial Linux platform and tools for high-performance, multicore, data-intense applications,” said Glenn Perry, general manager of Mentor Graphics’ Embedded Software Division. “Our Mentor Embedded Linux solution for Freescale will support both the new 64-bit capabilities and Freescale’s 32-bit applications.”
Wind River
“Starting with our support of the QorIQ P4080 in 2008 to the latest P5020 64-bit multi-core processor, we’ve provided Simics virtual platforms to help Freescale and their customers and partners develop QorIQ-based products in advance of hardware availability,” said Michel Genard, vice president, Product Strategy and Marketing for Simics at Wind River. “By utilizing a Simics virtual platform early in the development process, teams are able to reduce engineering cycles and ultimately get to market faster.”
CodeSourcery
“Sourcery G++, CodeSourcery’s tools for professional embedded developers, now supports Freescale’s QorIQ P5020 64-bit high-performance networking processor,” said Mark Mitchell, president of CodeSourcery. “We’re proud to have had the opportunity to bring GCC, GDB, and other components of the GNU toolchain to this exciting new core so that Linux developers can develop 64-bit applications for the P5020.”
Curtiss-Wright Controls Embedded Computing
“Freescale’s new P5 processors deliver new levels of trust architecture that enhance the security of systems in which they are deployed,” said Lynn Bamford, vice president and general manager of Curtiss-Wright Controls Embedded Computing. “This security, together with memory addressability up to 64GB, makes the P5 devices an outstanding choice for aerospace and defense applications.”
Emerson Network Power
“Freescale’s new e5500 64-bit platform is the kind of innovative technology that will help Emerson Network Power continue to deliver market-leading embedded solutions that cut time-to-market, cost and risk for our OEM customers,” said Dick DuBois, senior vice president of Emerson Network Power’s Embedded Computing business. “Delivering an impressive performance to power ratio, Freescale’s QorIQ P5020 device should prove to be an extremely attractive product for inclusion in future Emerson Network Power offerings.”
GE Intelligent Platforms
“The floating point performance levels of Freescale’s new P5 processors make them a great choice for the demanding requirements of a number of aerospace and defense companies,” said Richard Kirk, product manager of Military & Aerospace SBCs for GE Intelligent Platforms. “The fact that the processors consume under 30 watts of power makes them advantageous for applications where size, weight and power profiles are critical.”
Mercury Computer Systems
“With performance up to 2.2 GHz, Freescale’s new P5020 device is ideal for applications served by AMC platforms,” said Michael Katz, director of Product Line Management for Mercury Computer Systems. “As a long-time supplier to networking and telecom markets, our customers will also appreciate the scalability enabled by the processor’s pin-compatibility with other QorIQ P3, P4, and P5 devices.”
Qnx
“Freescale is a long-standing and trusted partner of QNX and a leader in multicore processing,” said Romain Saha, business development manager at QNX Software Systems. “Together, the new Freescale 64-bit QorIQ platform and the field-proven symmetric multiprocessing of the QNX Neutrino RTOS should provide a powerful platform for increasing performance and reducing development time for embedded networking applications.”