VLSI Digital Signal Processing Systems: Design and Implementation

18.6    CONCLUSIONS

This chapter has introduced the features of ordinary DSP processors, with focus on data path and memory architectures. Special requirements for low- power DSP processors in mobile and wireless communications were discussed. General parallelization and adaptation techniques for multimedia processing were addressed. Media processors and multimedia extensions of general purpose microprocessors were discussed.

Mobile and wireless communications and multimedia processing will continue to be the driving force of both DSP processors and microprocessors. The typical requirements for DSP processors include [2]:

• flexibility - the applications and their standards keep changing faster than their system counterparts.
• high throughput - on the order of hundreds to thousands of MOPS.
• low power and low cost - the need for desktop and portable solutions with silicon costing under $40.

For mobile and wireless communication applications, the flexibility and low power and cost are extremely important. One example of promising applications in this area is software radio. When all functions, from baseband modulation and channel processing to voice codec, become available in software supported by programmable hardware, we can travel all over the world with our own wireless terminal. Adaptation to local standards and specifications in different countries can be realized by the replacement of software. For multimedia processing applications, the flexibility and high throughput are ...