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CORE WAR

by Tom Cantrell

Start ý Guns Blazing ý The Curtain Rises ý RISC 101 ý 32 Bits orBust ý There's the Bell • Sources and PDF

GUNS BLAZING

Although Xilinx and Altera may have settled their courtroom differences, the argument over whoýs got the better architecture continues to resemble the RISC vs. CISC battles of yore. As in that conflict, itýs no surprise that as progress marches on, both sidesý parts look more alike, calling for more finely parsed nit-picking by each campýs well-entrenched troops.

Most recently, a new battle is emerging as each side squares off with soft-core CPUs. I believe the concept of CPU cores existing as bit streams in otherwise completely standard FPGAs is a real winner, so the stakes are high indeed.

Altera pulled off a somewhat-successful first strike last year with their NIOS core, which was introduced as part of their Excalibur initiative, encompassing MIPS- and ARM-based hard-core parts as well.

To be sure, there are plenty of soft cores around for Xilinx parts, in the form of offerings from third-party suppliers. But, NIOS reset the bar with industrial-strength development tools (GNU) and an intriguing price propositionýitýs free.

My own opinion is that this model of chip suppliers giving away IP razors in order to sell IC blades is the one that will prevail. Itýs not that the chip suppliers are any better at crafting a design than independent outfits, itýs just that the chip suppliers are in a better position to sell the IP.

It all boils down to the fact that burying the IP price in a chip is the most streamlined way to accomplish the transaction. In a world wracked by Napster-like IP angst, the bit of plastic and silicon we call a chip is (just like the plastic and paper that go into an audio CD) a handy place to hang the price tag. In essence, itýs a royalty scheme without all the hand-wringing about opening the books, audits, dongles, and the like.

Alteraýs move left everyone waiting for the other shoe (Xilinxýs) to drop. And, drop it did at the Embedded System Conference in March with the disclosure of MicroBlaze, Xilinxýs own GNU tool-fueled, price-is-right soft-core.

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