The starlight core for express disk drive controllers

Projektinformationen

STARLIGHT

ID Finanzhilfevereinbarung: FP4_21587

Startdatum 15 April 1996

Enddatum 14 Oktober 1997

Finanziert unter

• Specific research and technological development programme in the field of information technologies, 1994-1998

Gesamtkosten € 2 400 000,00

EU-Beitrag € 1 200 000,00

Koordiniert durch

Sgs-Thomson Microelectronics Limited
United Kingdom

Ziel

- Design and manufacture a reduced-size micro-core (STARLIGHT core) optimised for disk drive applications.

- Develop a family of disk drive subsystems to enable silicon integration for customer specific solutions.

- Produce an integrated simulation model (VHDL) of the STARLIGHT core family with application specific subsystems developed for the disk drive controller. This will provide a prototype to demonstrate the state-of-the-art 32-bit solution to potential customers.

- Development of software support for STARLIGHT core applications. Suitable software support to allow systems to be developed and debugged together with the necessary compiler development to target the reduced instruction set core.

The trend in the drive industry is towards higher integration of disk functions into fewer monolithic devices. Current drive designs use 16-bit micros; in multiple high-density devices, performing drive functions such as servo control, disk control, host control and read/write data transfer. In the move towards a 'drive-on-a-chip', these micros cannot deliver the processing bandwidth necessary to carry out these real-time functions.
New 32-bit architectures such as the ST20 have five to ten times the processing power of the current micro solutions being used. In addition, the integration of DSP-type functions such as hardware multipliers further relieves the processing burden on the micro-core. By upgrading to machines such as the ST20, the disk architect benefits from MIP increases due to more efficient instruction sets; greater data bandwidth and DSP functionality.
The processing benefits of a 32-bit move have been evident for some time. The drive industry has applied pressure on microprocessor architects to provide the functionality described above, but at a cost in die area that was not feasible in the industry. STARLIGHT is to demonstrate that these issues can be successfully addressed by the ST20 and that the time is now right for this 32-bit move.

Wissenschaftliches Gebiet

• natural sciences › computer and information sciences › software
• engineering and technology › electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering › electronic engineering › computer hardware › computer processors
• natural sciences › chemical sciences › inorganic chemistry › metalloids

Programm/Programme

• FP4-ESPRIT 4 - Specific research and technological development programme in the field of information technologies, 1994-1998

Thema/Themen

• 2.2 - Semiconductors - Microelectronics for product innovation

Aufforderung zur Vorschlagseinreichung

Data not available

Finanzierungsplan

CSC - Cost-sharing contracts

Koordinator

Sgs-Thomson Microelectronics Limited

• EU-Beitrag: Keine Daten
• Adresse: Aztec West 1000 ; BS124SQ Almondsbury ; Vereinigtes Königreich
• Gesamtkosten: Keine Daten

Beteiligte (1)

Silicon Systems Design Ltd

Irland

• EU-Beitrag: Keine Daten
• Adresse: Sth Leinster St. 10-11 ; Dublin 2
• Gesamtkosten: Keine Daten