Stretch Differentiators

Customers gain the following advantages by using the Stretch processor families and development environment:

Performance advantages in compute-intensive applications
Stretch software configurable processors take software "hot spots" (sequences of operations that are executed repeatedly and consume the majority of the compute resources) and optimize them into exceptionally fast custom instructions. On Stretch processors, an entire hot spot, expressed only in C/C++, is reduced to a single instruction. Not only is this process easy, but the performance gain can be huge. As an example, tens to hundreds of instructions on other processors become just one instruction on a Stretch processor.

Scalability
The Processor Array feature of the new S6000 family of products allows designers to scale their solutions to meet the compute requirements of different applications. The price performance advantages gained in single-chip solutions can be scaled to multi-chip designs for the most complex systems.

Lowered system costs
The integrated I/Os in the new S6000 family of software configurable processors allow easy integration with other system components, reducing or eliminating "glue" logic and simplifying designs. Furthermore, a single Stretch processor can replace multiple DSPs or combinations of processors and FPGAs, reducing manufacturing costs, shrinking product footprints, and eliminating the costs and challenges of a hardware/software co-development environment.

Shortened development time and time-to-market
Stretch eliminates typically long development cycles and the high development costs associated with using ASICs and FPGAs. Developers can customize the processor and implement applications using only C/C++ software. Further simplifying the process, no assembly language for optimization is required as with GPPs and DSPs. This software-based approach lets system designers quickly adapt to changing market requirements, without changing their hardware.