Analog Devices 82-003536-01 manual 1INTRODUCTION TO SHARC PROCESSORS, What are SHARC Processors?

1INTRODUCTION TO SHARC PROCESSORS

This chapter briefly describes the SHARC processor’s architecture and key features and compares available models.

Topics include:

•“What are SHARC Processors?” on page 1-1

•“Four Generations of SHARC Processors” on page 1-5

What are SHARC Processors?

SHARC is the name of a family of high performance 32-bit floating-point processors based on a Super Harvard Architecture. SHARC processors dominate the floating-point digital signal processing market, delivering exceptional core and memory performance complemented by outstanding I/O throughput. The industry standard SHARC family makes float- ing-point processing economical for applications where performance and dynamic range are key considerations such as home, professional, and automotive audio, medical, and industrial and instrumentation products.

The SHARC processor portfolio currently consists of four generations of products providing code-compatible solutions, ranging from entry-level products priced at less than $10 to the highest performance products offering fixed- and floating-point computational power to 450 MHz/2700 MFLOPs. Regardless of the specific product choice, all SHARC processors provide a common set of features and functionality usable across many signal processing markets and applications. This baseline functionality

Getting Started With SHARC Processors 1-1