Clarkspur Design, Inc.

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Description

Clarkspur Design, Incorporated is a leading independent designer of configurable core integrated circuits for digital signal processing. These Digital Signal Processors (DSPs) provide the benefits of a programmable processor with a fixed instruction set while having the flexibility of selectable data-path precision, different memory types and sizes, additional peripheral circuits like D/A converters and a variety of input/output interfaces. This combination permits high performance at very low silicon cost for a particular application. Use of a configurable core gives many of the benefits of a full-custom design, but with a very much shorter development cycle, lower development cost and at lower risk. The synthesizable HDL design of the CD2458, CD2470A, CD2480A and CD2490A Fixed point DSP cores are the current possible choices. Clarkspur offers an efficient and practical script file for customer's target library. Configurability gives proprietary hardware performance improvements over standard product designs from major IC vendors. Programmability assures easy addition of features to meet changing market needs. Software development support is provided with an Assembler and PC based Emulator Board. The EVA chips (FPGA based) using external memory is provided to allow easy prototyping of new systems. Clarkspur's initial product was the CD2400, a fixed precision configurable core with a 60-ns instruction cycle time, designed back in 1988-1989. The second generation CD2450 core has additional function and instructions, variable data precision and the higher speed instruction cycle time. Licensed core users have designed chips for more than twenty different applications with these two products. Among the applications were hard disk drives, CD ROM drives, DVD drives, data/fax modems, toys, games, and voice mail etc.. Custom designs are also done for specific applications where a DSP core is not suitable. A successful example was the Cylink CY513 data encryption chip used in personal computer plug-in card applications. A license holder of a Clarkspur Design configurable core has unlimited use of the design modules. The license appeals where there will be multiple designs of high-volume low-cost products that must be developed in a short time. Designs can be fabricated at multiple fabrication foundries because of the common design rules used.

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