3 November 2003 Santa Clara, CA Lightwave -- Crimson Microsystems, an early stage startup developing new communications silicon technology, has licensed Tensilica's Xtensa microprocessor technology. Crimson will integrate the Xtensa core into a new communications IC for the optical transport, switching, and access markets.
Crimson, a privately held fabless semiconductor company headquartered in Pleasanton, CA, is developing a new class of silicon systems called "Microcommunications Processors." The devices are based on a new architecture that blends the essential building blocks for high-efficiency transport, aggregation, and grooming (TAG) with a central processing core. This architecture results in a single-chip processor designed to radically improve efficiency, lower cost, and address security in both copper and fiber networks.
"As a startup in stealth mode, we knew we needed a robust, pre-verified core that would help us get to market quickly with a highly differentiated product," said Deepak Rana, CEO of Crimson Microsystems. "The Xtensa platform reduced our development time significantly and provided flexibility down the line for further customization. This gives us immeasurable peace of mind, knowing that our technology will be highly competitive today and our development effort can be leveraged as we proceed down our Microcommunications Processor roadmap."
Tensilica offers an integrated, patented hardware and software design environment that enables the automatic generation of application-specific processors. Tensilica's patented Xtensa design environment has been used by over 60 semiconductor and system companies to deliver integrated SOCs for a variety of embedded applications. The Xtensa microprocessor core is shipping today in products ranging from low-cost consumer devices to high-performance communications equipment.