TI, providing a new paradigm for High Performance Computing (HPC), offers developers multi-core DSPs based on the TMS320C66x generation that offer the lowest power consumption and industry-leading performance. TI’s TMS320C6678 and TMS320TCI6609 multi-core DSPs are optimized for computing applications in fields such as oil and gas exploration, financial modeling, and molecular dynamics, which require ultra-high performance, low power consumption, and ease of programming. TI provides free libraries optimized for HPC that enable developers to achieve peak performance more easily without wasting time on code optimization, and supports standard programming languages such as C and OpenMP, allowing developers to easily migrate applications to reduce power consumption and fully leverage performance benefits.

Phillip J. Mucci, Founder and Director of Business Development at Samara Technology Group, said, “TI’s new multicore DSP family provides excellent flops per watt performance and superior levels of density and integration,” adding, “Various options such as high speed, low latency, and socket-to-socket interconnects enable TI’s DSPs to provide optimized building blocks for high-performance, high-efficiency HPC systems.”

Achieve peak performance through multicore.
With 16 GFLOPs per watt, the highest performance floating-point DSP core, TI's C66x Keystone-based multicore DSP is changing how HPC developers meet requirements for performance, power efficiency, and ease of use. Advantech, a global manufacturer of communications computing blades and multicore processor platforms, has developed the DSPC-8681 MPE (Multimedia Processing Engine), a Half-Length (HL) PCIe card that delivers over 500 GFLOPs of performance under ultra-low power consumption conditions of 50W. TI and Advantech will transform the industry with faster and more efficient solutions for HPC applications by soon securing Full-Length (FL) cards offering 1 TFLOP and 2 TFLOPs of performance, in addition to the PCIe cards currently available. Through TI's optimized computation and image libraries, as well as standard programming models, HPC developers can achieve maximum performance quickly and easily.

"By announcing the DSPC-8681 earlier this year, we secured an early market introduction opportunity in computationally intensive radar and medical imaging applications," said Eddie Lai, Vice President of Business Development at Advantech. "The launch of TI's latest multicore development tool suite will further accelerate customer evaluation of HPC applications and fully realize the potential of the C6678 multicore DSP in the field of supercomputing."

Meeting HPC Developer Requirements – Today and Tomorrow
The DSPC-8681 PCIe card contains four C6678 multicore DSPs, and the new PCIe card will contain eight C6678 multicore DSPs to achieve 1 TFLOP (teraflop) or four TCI6609 multicore DSPs to achieve 2 TFLOPs. The C6678 is the industry's highest-performing multicore DSP currently in mass production, containing eight 1.25GHz DSPs and providing 160 GFLOPs under 10W conditions. TI’s upcoming TCIC6609 multicore DSP is set to provide developers with four times the performance of the C6678 multicore DSP, achieving 512 GFLOPs at just 32W. By offering a DSP solution optimized for HPC, it will change how developers select solutions for their applications. Scheduled for sample availability in 2012, the TCIC6609 is code-compatible with the C6678 DSP, allowing developers to reuse their existing software without having to make additional investments in TI multicore DSPs.

Simplifying multicore development
TI simplifies development and supports developers in maximizing the full performance of C66x multicore DSPs through powerful multicore software, tools, and the low-cost EVM suite. Designers can begin development on the C6678 multicore DSP using the TMDSEVM6678L, available for $399. Because the EVM includes a free Multicore Software Development Kit (MCSDK), Code Composer Studio™ IDE, and application/demo code suites, it enables programmers to quickly start developing on the new platform.

TI's Keystone Multicore Architecture
TI's Keystone multicore architecture serves as a platform for true multicore innovation, providing developers with a complete portfolio of high-performance, low-power multicore devices. Based on the groundbreaking performance of the Keystone architecture, TI has developed a new generation of TMS320C66x DSP products. Keystone distinguishes itself from other multicore architectures by providing complete processing performance to every core of a multicore device. Keystone-based devices are optimized for high-performance markets such as wireless base stations, mission-critical applications, test and automation, medical imaging, and high-performance computing. (For more information about the product, please refer to www.ti.com/c66multicore )