Newsgroups: comp.sys.transputer
From: redaelli@cra9vp.cra.enel.it (ing. Luca Redaelli)
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Date: 23 Sep 1994 11:10:40 GMT
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From MARKJ@isnet.inmos.co.uk Tue Apr  6 14:55:58 1993
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From: MARKJ@isnet.inmos.co.uk
To: THOMPSON
Subject: T9 Press Release
Status: R



          THE T9000 TRANSPUTER - REVOLUTION BY EVOLUTION


          26 March,  1993.    London,  UK.    INMOS  announces  sample

          availability of  the T9000  transputer.   Just  three  years

          after design  commenced, the  3.3 million  transistor chip -

          SGS-THOMSON's most complex yet - is available, and customers

          are now sampling devices.



          The T9000  is the world's fastest single-chip computer, with

          its 200  MIPS, 25  MFLOPS peak  performance and  its  32-bit

          superscalar integer  processor, 64-bit  floating point unit,

          virtual channel  processor, 100Mbits/s  communications links

          and 16Kbyte  memory, all  on one 10 x 20mm chip.  Its unique

          virtual channel  communications system  gives a  balance  of

          communications and  computing performance  unmatched by  any

          other processor.   In  the mid 80s, the transputer began the

          revolution   which    brought   the   world   parallel   and

          multiprocessing.   Since then  the transputer  has gone from

          strength to  strength and evolved into a successful, easy to

          use,  general   purpose  microprocessor,   widely  used   in

          applications  ranging   from  embedded   systems   to   high

          performance  computing.     The   streamlined  T9000  super-

          transputer  is   the  latest  step  in  this  revolution  by

          evolution.   Based on  the original  transputer,  the  T9000

          gives its  users the benefits of increased computational and

          communications  power,   with  the  added  advantage  of  an

          established base of software and development tools.




          The T9000  has superlative  performance of  200 MIPS  and 25

          MFLOPS, so  a single  T9000  can  perform  tasks  previously

          requiring several  processors.   However, because  the T9000

          makes multiprocessing simpler, it is also the ideal solution

          when performance or responsiveness dictates a multiprocessor

          system.   Any number  of T9000s  may be  easily added into a

          system to  achieve scalable performance; a system containing

          10 T9000s will give 2000 MIPS and 250 MFLOPS, and so on.



          Whether a  system has two or two thousand T9000s, the key to

          multiprocessing simplicity  is  the  T9000's  communications

          system.   The first  transputer  revolution  simplified  the

          hardware needed  to support  multiprocessor systems, freeing

          system designers  from the tyranny of expensive, performance

          throttling shared  buses  by  providing  instead  cheap  and

          simple point-to-point  links.  The resulting demand for more

          communications capability  is  met  by  the  T9000's  unique

          virtual channels.  Just as the transputer's scheduler allows

          the processor  to execute several tasks at once, the T9000's

          virtual channels  allow a link to handle several messages at

          the same time, effectively giving every part of a system its

          very own communications link.  The dedicated virtual channel

          processor multiplexes  messages over the links independently

          of the  CPU so that processing can continue in parallel with

          communication.  Each T9000 link can be directly connected to

          another T9000  or peripheral  device with  no  interface  or

          buffer logic,  leading to low component count and low system

          cost.

          The T9000  is  easy  to  use;  developing,  programming  and

          debugging a  multiple T9000  system is  as easy  as a single

          T9000.   A whole  network  can  be  configured,  loaded  and

          debugged from  a single development system using the T9000's

          control links.  INMOS provides compilers for ANSI C, C++ and

          occam on  standard hosts  such as  PCs and Sun workstations.

          Hardware development  is simplified by the availability of a

          range of TRAnsputer Modules (TRAMs), high performance T9000-

          based HTRAMs and motherboards which are a cost effective way

          of constructing prototype and production systems.



          The T9000  excels in  embedded systems  and high performance

          computing applications  due to  its self sufficiency and low

          cost of  system integration.   80%  of transputer sales have

          historically been  into embedded systems, and the T9000 will

          continue that trend.



          For telecommunications,  its high  speed communications  and

          packet routing capability are ideal for network interfacing,

          internetworking and  switching systems.    In  database  and

          storage  systems,   the  100Mbits/s  links  distribute  data

          rapidly while  the processors  perform tasks  such  as  data

          encryption, compression and integrity checking.  The T9000's

          sub-microsecond context  switch and interrupt response times

          make it  ideal for  real-time  industrial  control.    This,

          combined with  its enhanced  communication system,  makes it

          ideal  for   low  cost   fault  tolerant   applications  for

          commercial and  military applications.   For  low cost image

          manipulation, the  T9000 can  transfer data  at rates  up to

          20Mbytes/s bidirectional over a single link.



          The T9000  will be  complemented by  the IMS  C1XX family of

          peripheral communications devices.

          For communication  between multiple  T9000s  which  are  not

          directly connected,  a single  C104  Packet  Routing  Switch

          enables up  to 32  T9000s to  communicate  directly;  larger

          networks use  more routers.   Mixed  transputer systems  are

          constructed using  the C100  System  Protocol  Converter  to

          interface  T9000  links  with  first  generation  transputer

          links.   The C101  Link Adapter  interfaces between  a T9000

          link and a wide variety of other devices.  These will become

          available during 1993.



          The T9000  is packaged  in a  208 pin  CLCC.  In single chip

          applications the  T9000 consumes  just 3W,  with  up  to  5W

          additional power  consumption when  driving  large  external

          memory systems.



          Price for  samples will  be $695,  with prices  reducing  as

          production volumes increase.



          Production of  the existing  transputers -  IMS T225,  T400,

          T425 and  T805 -  will continue  alongside  the  T9000,  and

          volume  output   is  increasing   as  more  transputer-based

          products come to market.



          INMOS, a  member of  the SGS-THOMSON Microelectronics Group,

          designs and  manufactures high  performance  microprocessors

          (transputers) and  transputer-based board  products.    SGS-

          THOMSON is  an international  semiconductor company  with  a

          rich  technological   background,  considerable   production

          resources and  a broad  range of  products which  covers all

          sectors of  advanced  electronics.    In  1992,  SGS-THOMSON

          achieved increased  market share, profitability and positive

          cash flow.   According  to  Dataquest,  the  well  respected

          microelectronics market analysts, SGS-THOMSON ranked 13th in

          the world  with 1.605M$  revenues, and  a  12%  growth,  two

          points more than the market growth.


