AT&T Expands 92K Hobbit Microprocessor Family
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — October 18, 1993 — AT&T Microelectronics announced today that it has expanded its 92K Hobbit family of microprocessors and support chips for personal communicators, which represent a new class of small, mobile devices that integrate voice and data communications capabilities in one unit.
The new 92K Hobbit family offerings consist of three microprocessors and support-chip solutions that deliver higher performance yet lower power consumption, increased levels of integration, and a broader range of price/performance attributes.
"Our goal is to provide OEM customers with an overall system-level solution so they can develop and rapidly bring to market a range of differentiated yet compatible products that make anytime, anywhere communications feasible," said Ahmed Nawaz, Senior Director of AT&T Microelectronics' Personal Communication Systems business unit. "This could mean two-chip cellular phone-size devices with an easy-to-use pen interface, up to tablet- size or larger systems with a variety of communications options," Nawaz explained.
The new 92K Hobbit chip sets, available in AT&T's new 0.6 micron 2 level-metal technology, include a microprocessor as well as a system controller, display controller, and PCMCIA interface functions. The low-power 3.3-volt core designs all include sophisticated power management features necessary to maximize battery life in mobile, communications-intensive devices. A new "wait- for-interrupt" instruction, for example, enhances power management by enabling the PenPoint(TM) operating system to put the Hobbit processor "to sleep" when not in use.
"The extension of the 92K Hobbit microprocessor family represents an important step in the evolution of AT&T's Personal Communications Architecture — our design framework for delivering end-to-end communications from the processor to the radio front-end," said Nawaz. "Through this foundation, the expanded Hobbit family can leverage such capabilities as AT&T's DSP-based communications technology to support a variety of wireless and landline links."
Three New 92K Hobbit Family Members
The new series of 20MHz microprocessors and support chips includes:
– ATT92020S Family which offers a performance of 16 VAX MIPS and a performance power rating of 76 VAX MIPS/Watt – a two to seven times better ratio than that offered by 386- and 486-family processors.
– ATT92020M Family with a performance of 13.5 VAX MIPS and performance power rating of 54 VAX MIPS/Watt.
– ATT92020MX Family with a performance of 11.5 VAX MIPS and a performance power rating of 40 VAX MIPS/Watt. Both the ATT92020M and MX versions reduce the support chip set count from four to two and one, respectively.
The ATT92020S microprocessor achieves a 20 percent performance gain and even lower power dissipation than the ATT92010 Hobbit microprocessor introduced last year, while maintaining binary and pin compatibility. For design with extensive I/O options, the ATT92020S processor works seamlessly with the supporting Hobbit microprocessor peripherals announced last year – the ATT92011 System Management Controller, the 92012 four-channel PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) Controller, the ATT92013 Peripheral Controller, and the ATT92014 Display Controller.
For OEMs designing personal communicators with a smaller form factor, the ATT92020M microprocessor, in combination with the ATT92021M System Controller and the ATT92024M Display Controller, lower the chip count while achieving performance and power specs similar to that of the ATT92010 Hobbit processor announced last year. For the physically smallest and lowest power Hobbit microprocessor-based personal communicator designs, the ATT92020MX processor and ATT92021MX System Management Controller, along with memory, comprise a complete system. The combination makes cellular-phone-size personal communicators possible, and moves the industry one step closer to creating devices with 24-hour battery life.
A technical paper describing these extensions to the 92K Hobbit microprocessor family will be delivered October 19 at the Microprocessor Forum in Burlingame, California.
Third-Party Applications Development and Support Tools
Third-party applications development continues to gather momentum since last year's introduction of the Hobbit/PenPoint platform. Twenty-six ISVs (Independent Software Vendors) have announced 44 Hobbit/PenPoint applications representing a broad cross-section of categories including communications, education, entertainment, database, personal productivity, tools and utilities. Today, 34 applications are already shipping. Additionally, numerous network services, from Dow Jones to CompuServe, AT&T Mail, MCI Mail, and the Official Airlines Guide can now be accessed by personal communicators.
To enable OEMs to build differentiated personal communicators, AT&T offers a complete set of hardware and software development tools. From hardware debuggers to compilers, these tools have been specifically packaged for the new ATT92020S and ATT92020M/MX Hobbit microprocessors.
Pricing and Availability
All of the 92K Hobbit family chips include an IEEE 1149.1 JTAG port for testing purposes. The processors are available in a 132-pin PQFP or 144-pin TQFP packages, and the support chips are packaged in 208-pin SQFPs. While all of the chips feature a 3.3-volt core design, they can also operate from 5-volt supplies. The processors run at a speed of 20 MHz at 3.3-volts, and 30 MHz at 5 volts.
All 92K Hobbit family products are available as samples now. Prices range from $32 for the ATT92020MX processor to $37 for the ATT92020S processor in 10K quantity. Production quantities will be available in first quarter 1994.
AT&T Microelectronics, headquartered in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, produces a wide range of semiconductors and electronic components for applications such as personal communicators, personal computers, workstations, local-area networks, and telecommunications, and has extensive resources in design tools and standard- cell and programmable logic.
The 92K Hobbit microprocessor family is managed by AT&T Microelectronics' Personal Communication Systems business unit, 4995 Patrick Henry Drive, Suite 2000, Santa Clara, CA 95054.
For product literature, call the AT&T Microelectronics Customer Response Center, 1-800-372-2447, extension 889 (Canada, 1-800-553-2448, extension 889); fax number +1-215-778-4106 (especially for customers outside North America).
Hobbit is a trademark of AT&T. All other brands and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
CONTACT:
AT&T Microelectronics PCS
Terri Hodges, 408/980-3797
or
AT&T Microelectronics
Dick Muldoon, 908/771-2825 (office) or 201/635-6699 (home)