MIPS joins Japanese space race

Edited by the Electronicstalk editorial team Oct 18, 2001

The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) has taken a license for the MIPS64 5Kf processor core from MIPS Technologies for use in satellite control and data transmission.

The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) has taken a license for the MIPS64 5Kf processor core from MIPS Technologies for use in a new satellite control and data transmission application.

The 5Kf core will be used as the processing core of choice for the next generation of NASDA satellites and will use MIPS Technologies' industry-standard high-performance low-power 64bit architecture to ensure flawless operation.

The new 5Kf core, introduced in June and already used by several leading semiconductor companies, is the only licensable, synthesisable 64bit core with an integrated floating-point unit (FPU) in the market today.

NASDA plans to integrate the core into a microprocessor unit (MPU) designed to handle attitude control, global positioning and image compression functions, all of which demand the performance throughput of a 64bit processor with floating point.

Because the 5Kf core is a synthesizable or "soft" core, it can be easily integrated into MPU and SoC designs and ported to any silicon process, allowing engineers to speed up the development process and keep costs down.

"By combining NASDA's radiation-hardening technology with the MIPS64 5Kf synthesisable 64bit microprocessor core, we can quickly develop and deploy the world's highest performance 'RAD hard' MPU while reducing overall system cost", said Satoshi Kuboyama, associate senior engineer, Technology Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, at NASDA's Tsukuba Space Centre.

"Few applications are more demanding than a satellite in the extreme and trying conditions of space.

High performance and low power are critical because the rigors of space are unforgiving.

Therefore, we are delighted that NASDA has again chosen to rely on our 64bit technology to achieve its goals", said Kazufumi Nakagami, business development director and country manager for Japan for MIPS Technologies.