Reduce development time by up to 10x with a new software package for TI's Sitara™ 32-bit ARM® microprocessors, C6000™ DSPs, and DSP + ARM processors

TI Korea ( www.ti.com/ww/kr ) November 3, 2011 – Embedded software programming occupies a significant portion of the product development cycle. To help developers drastically reduce learning time and accelerate development during the embedded design process, TI has announced a free StarterWare software package that provides user-friendly, production-grade software to developers of Sitara™ 32-bit ARM® microprocessors (MPUs), C6000™ DSPs, and DSPs + ARM. Because StarterWare does not require the use of an operating system, application developers can flexibly begin development. Additionally, StarterWare enables easy migration to other TI embedded devices.

Simplify and accelerate development with starterware
TI's new Starterware software package simplifies the ARM MPU and DSP development process by providing Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to configure and interface with peripherals. Furthermore, because Starterware includes a lightweight software stack, it supports USB, network, and graphics functions. The example code and application notes included in Starterware reduce development time by up to tenfold.
This software package helps developers accelerate time-to-market because it eliminates the need to use and learn complex operating system-related matters. Because there is no need to access hardware through the operating system, developers can fine-tune the system for optimized resource management of the CPU, peripherals, and memory, and reduce system latency by up to 500 times compared to running on the Linux® operating system. Even for more complex systems that require an operating system to manage multiple data flows, Starterware provides the optimal foundation. Many Real-Time Operating System (RTOS) providers plan to utilize Starterware in their products for TI embedded processors.

In addition to these advantages that Starterware provides to TI's Sitara 32-bit ARM MPU and C6000 DSP, TI's DSP + ARM processor is supported by a low-latency inter-processor communication software layer without an operating system, and can efficiently share processing and I/O (input/output) tasks between two cores to optimize system performance.

Easy migration between TI embedded devices with starterware
TI's starterware software packages enable customers to easily migrate between TI embedded devices. Software designers can migrate from Stellaris® ARM Cortex™-M microcontrollers (MCUs) to Sitara 32-bit ARM MPUs by programming the MPU in a manner similar to an MCU, utilizing software-friendly MCU toolchains such as IAR and Keil™. Developers can also extend from the ARM MPU to C6000 DSPs or DSP + ARM processors, as the software provides the same API calls for both the DSP and the ARM MPU.

Supply timing and price
Developers can start innovative development immediately with starterware packages customized for each TI device. Starterware for TI’s AM18x ARM9™ MPU, OMAP-L138 DSP + ARM9 processor and TMS320C6748 DSP is currently available for free download, and packages for additional devices will be available within the next few months.
These starterware software packages are based on the success of the StellarisWare® software suite, which lowered barriers to entry, shortened time-to-market, and provided innovation to MCU developers.