32b RISC/DSP media processor: MediaDSP3201

摘要

RISC and DSP, two main architectures, have their own features. The main idea of RISC is "simple is fast". Acting as controller, RISC is based on Load/Store structure, register-register Instruction Set Architecture (ISA), general purpose registers and cache. On the other hand, designed for signal processing, DSP emphasizes large data accessing and fast computing. It's based on register-memory ISA, diverse addressing modes, data address generator, multiplier accumulator and RAM. As Embedded Systems grow fast, no single core architecture, neither RISC nor DSP, could meet the needs anymore. Combination is necessary. There are two kinds of combination: dual-core or single core. Single core means RISC core and DSP core melt into one core with common resource and unified ISA. A 32b media processor named MediaDSP3201 (MD32 for short) is a new member of this family. In this paper, the MD32 design is introduced and concentrated on ISA design and pipeline design. They are important in architecture design. Compatibility runs through the whole design. The ISA should include features from both RISC ISA and DSP ISA. The pipeline should fit the designed ISA as good as possible. MD32 was made by TSMC at the first try on 2004 spring. Application programs running on it show that the design is successfully and the chip is suitable for Embedded System applications.