CPU Shack - Fujitsu TurboSparc Processor

FUJITSU MICROELECTRONICS' NEW TurboSPARC PROCESSOR SETS NEW PERFORMANCE LEVEL FOR LOW-END, MID-RANGE WORKSTATIONS

Now in Design at Leading SPARC-Compatible Workstation Manufacturers

SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 30, 1996 -- Supported by the leading SPARC-compatible workstation manufacturers -- including Tatung Science and Technology, Inc., RDI Computer Corp., Force Computers, Themis Computers, Opus Systems and Tadpole Technologies -- Fujitsu Microelectronics, Inc. today introduced its new 170 MHz TurboSPARC(tm) CPU, the MB86907, designed to double the performance of SPARCstation 5 and compatible workstations.

Fujitsu's TurboSPARC processor is the most powerful of the highly-integrated, low-end SPARC microprocessors now available. Performance meets or exceeds 143 SPECint/92 and 119 SPECfp92. In comparison, typical performance ratings for workstations based on microSPARC-II CPUs at 110 MHz are 78 SPEC/int92 and 65 SPEC/fp92.

TurboSPARC has been built with a nine-stage pipeline and 16 KB of instruction cache and 16 KB data cache, with support for up to 1MB of secondary cache. The device's streaming cache architecture minimizes delays caused by cache misses. It runs under version 8 of the SPARC architecture and is completely compatible with SunOS, Solaris, and all SPARC applications. TurboSPARC is also 'energy-efficient,' with typical power dissipation of just seven watts.

"TurboSPARC has been designed as the successor to the microSPARC-II processor, which has served as the basis for the widely-used SPARCstation 5," said Badar Baqai, vice president of processor products at Fujitsu Microelectronics. "TurboSPARC strengthens the competitiveness of the SPARC architecture, delivering a performance boost to the low end of the SPARC market. It doubles workstation performance in a broad range of engineering, scientific, and other applications. TurboSPARC continues Fujitsu's long tradition of leadership in this powerful technology."

In addition to its application in new workstations, TurboSPARC is an ideal choice for the next generation of SPARCstation 5 compatible systems, or systems that are compatible with Netra, which is Sun's Internet server, according to Baqai.

Leaders in SPARC-compatible workstation design and development are set to introduce new, powerful workstations built around the TurboSPARC CPU by the fourth calendar quarter.

Tatung Science and Technologies President Dr. Kam Chan said Tatung is planning to supply workstations based on TurboSPARC as soon as FMI begins volume shipments. "Over the past 12 months, we have developed a very close and productive working relationship with Fujitsu Microelectronics," Dr. Chan said. "TurboSPARC provides an excellent price/performance improvement over the previous generations of CPUs."

"The TurboSPARC will double the processor performance that we currently offer in our PowerLite notebook product line," said Kathy Bubien, product marketing manager for RDI Computer Corp., Carlsbad, Calif. "Additional processing power is required by advanced technical users in computer-aided design/manufacturing, electronic design automation, and geosciences/geoengineering, as well as government mobile operations and forward-deployed missions. Fujitsu's TurboSPARC boosts the power in the PowerLite and delivers the first high-performance solution for the portable SPARC workstation market."

"TurboSPARC supplies an incredible leap in performance over what exists now, and will fill the gap in our product line in terms of performance between the 110 MHz SPARCstation 5 and the high-end SPARC 20," said Mark Pittman, manager of product marketing for Force Computers, which implements the SPARC architecture on a Eurocard form factor. "Within our SPARC product family, TurboSPARC will offer customers the best price/performance, by far."

"TurboSPARC fits perfectly into our embedded VME processor family with high performance and the right price points. It is ideal for customers who specialize in telecom and military applications," said Walter Snell, vice president of sales and marketing for Themis Computer, Fremont, Calif. "New Themis TurboSPARC uniprocessor VME engines with high availability features and high density memory packaging will address the compute needs of applications from cellular base station controllers to tactical mission planning computers."

Opus Systems President Craig Forney said the TurboSPARC processor will be a welcome addition to Opus' successful SPARCard product line, which provides a complete SPARC workstation in a PC/AT form factor. "Our SPARCard 5 systems are being integrated into a wide range of commercial and military applications which require both SPARC and PC processing power in a single system footprint," he said. "Our customers have been pressing for increased SPARC processor power, and the new CPU fits the bill."

Noel Poore, product manager for Tadpole Technology, added that Tadpole is "delighted that mobile SPARC technology continues to advance. We look forward to working with Fujitsu to bring TurboSPARC to the portable workstation market." Tadpole's U.S. operations are based in Austin, Texas.

TurboSPARC is being manufactured using Fujitsu's advanced 0.35 micron CMOS process. Samples in 416-pin BGA packages are available now. It will be distributed exclusively by Marshall Industries, with pricing beginning at $499 each in 1,000-unit quantities. Marshall can be reached 24 hours, 7 days a week at 800-833-9910, or online at www.marshall.com on the world wideweb.

FMI also now offers an added solution - a TurboSPARC processor daughterboard that can speed new products to market. It can be dropped into microSPARC-II 321-pin CPGA sockets, for designers and users who want instant system performance improvements. The daughtercard provides a total of 512 Kbyte secondary cache.