Many responses from many folks. Thanx. Here's the mktg summary of this
announcement:
NEW WEITEK CPU DOUBLES THE PROCESSOR POWER OF
SPARCSTATION 2 AND IPX WORKSTATIONS
USER-INSTALLABLE 80 MHZ CHIP SPEEDS APPLICATION PERFORMANCE UP TO 1.9X
DALLAS, Texas, June 14, 1993 -- Weitek Corporation (Nasdaq:WWTK) today
announced a fully compatible SPARC(R) microprocessor that users of Sun
Microsystems Computer Corporation (SMCC) SPARCstation(TM) 2 and IPX
workstations can install themselves to boost the performance of their
applications up to 1.9 times.
The Weitek SPARC POWER(TM) uP, priced at $1,500, is a pin-for-pin replacement
upgrade for the SPARCstation 2 and IPX CPUs. The chip, which users can
easily install, is 100 percent compatible with the SPARCstation 2 and IPX's
operating systems and applications software.
Pre-release samples of the SPARC POWER uP are being demonstrated here at the
Design Automation Conference by leading software suppliers, including Cadence
Design Systems, Inc., COMPASS Design Automation, Intergraph Corporation,
Meta-Software, Inc., Sunrise Test Systems, Synopsys, Inc., and ViewLogic
Systems, Inc.
"Weitek's SPARC POWER uP delivers on Sun Microsystems' open architecture
policy," said Derek Meyer, Director of SPARC marketing at SMCC. "SPARC was
created as an open standard to encourage independent hardware and software
developers to find new answers to SPARC users' needs. We endorse Weitek's
contribution to the standard with their new SPARC POWER uP."
"SPARC POWER uP's cost benefits go beyond price/performance comparisons by
preserving capital investment, extending machine life and increasing the
usefulness of existing hardware and software," said Barry Cox, Weitek's
president.
Weitek has provided floating point units (FPU) to SMCC since 1985, is a SPARC
licensee, and was the first Sun vendor to integrate an integer unit (IU) and
an FPU on a single chip. Current Weitek SPARC products include an integrated
IU/FPU, four FPUs and an integrated graphics controller chip. Weitek
continues to provide W8601 CPUs to Sun for its IPX workstations.
SPARCstation 2 and IPX workstations represent nearly half of Sun's total
installed base, with more than 250,000 machines in use worldwide. Both are
still being manufactured. Typical uses include electrical and mechanical
computer-aided design (ECAD and MCAD), finite element analysis (FEA),
database management/financial modeling and desktop publishing (DTP).
"The SPARC POWER uP is an easy, natural upgrade for any SPARCstation 2 or IPX
used in compute-intensive applications such as CAD," Cox said. "And, it
improves system performance far more than a similar investment in on-board
memory or disk storage capacity."
SPARC POWER uP PERFORMANCE AND SPECIFICATIONS
Weitek's SPARC POWER uP is a 1.8-million transistor integrated central
processing unit (CPU). Produced in 0.8-micron triple-layer metal CMOS
process technology, the circuit features a Phase Lock Loop (PLL) internal
clock doubler which runs the internal CPU circuits at 80 megahertz (MHz)
while maintaining a 40MHz system interface; along with 16 kilobyte (KB) of
on-chip cache memory for instructions and 8KB for data.
These features combine to produce doubled peak integer performance compared
to the original SPARCstation 2/IPX CPU; more than doubled peak floating-point
performance; and quadrupled peak internal bandwidth.
STANDARD BENCHMARK RESULTS
---------------------------------------------------------------
BENCHMARK SPARCSTATION 2 SPARCSTATION 2 SPEEDUP
W/SPARC POWER uP FACTOR
---------------------------------------------------------------
SPECint92 21.4 SPECint 32.2 SPECint 1.5x
SPECfp92 21.8 SPECfp 31.1 SPECfp 1.4x Peak
MIPS 40 80 2.0x Peak
MFLOPS 13.7 33.3 2.4x
---------------------------------------------------------------
APPLICATION TEST RESULTS
----------------------------------------------------------------------
BENCHMARK SPARCSTATION 2 SPARCSTATION 2 SPEEDUP
W/SPARC POWER uP FACTOR
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Cadence Allegro 131 sec 96 sec 1.4x
(PC board layout)
Cadence Compose 642 sec 439 sec 1.5x
(IC layout)
Cadence Dracula 2,570 sec 1,893 sec 1.4x
(IC layout/verification)
Cadence Verilog 1,586 sec 1,065 sec 1.5x
(logic simulator)
Intergraph (IC Design)
Boolean test 44 sec 29 sec 1.5x
Spacing test 6,606 sec 3,532 sec 1.9x
Interleaf (desktop 9.1 sec 5.7 sec 1.6x
publishing)
Informix WINGZ 294 sec 208 sec 1.4x
(spreadsheet)
Synopsis 249 sec 147 sec 1.7x
(logic synthesis)
MacNeil Schwendler 1,137 sec 810 sec 1.4x
NASTRAN (finite element analysis)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
* SPARCstation IPX results match those of the SPARCstation 2 to
within a few percent.
SYSTEM CONFIGURATION: The benchmark results shown here were run on a single
SPARCstation 2 machine, with and without the SPARC Power uP. The system had
64 MB of RAM and was running SunOS 4.1.3. The benchmarks were compiled with
Sun's release SC1.0 C and FORTRAN compilers.
The average speedup of the applications listed in figure 4 was 1.53x. This
shows the interaction of a double-speed CPU with a system that is otherwise
unmodified.
The SPARC POWER uP's 100 percent compatibility has been verified through
compliance testing performed by SPARC International, an organization of SPARC
hardware and software vendors which ensures the compatibility of SPARC chip
implementations and supports the migration of application software to SPARC
platforms. Certified as SPARC Compliant(TM), the SPARC POWER uP has passed
the same SCDv7 tests as the original SPARCstation 2 and IPX. Weitek further
backs the chip with a full one-year warranty.
INSTALLING THE SPARC POWER uP
The SPARC POWER uP is a pin-for-pin replacement for the existing SPARCstation
2 and IPX CPUs; and is completely compatible electrically, functionally and
at the binary software level. "All the user has to do is open the machine,
remove the old CPU from its socket and insert the new one with a tool we
provide," Cox said. "A manual is included to guide users through each step."
Older systems such as the SPARCstation 1 and SPARCstation 1+ can also take
advantage of the SPARC POWER uP's performance by installing a SPARCstation 2
motherboard upgraded with the new Weitek CPU.
The SPARC POWER uP upgrade requires no additional hardware or software
modifications to the system.
AVAILABILITY AND PRICING
Production quantities of the Weitek SPARC POWER uP are expected to be
available within 90 days. The new CPU is priced at $1,500 for single-unit
orders, with quantity discounts available for volume purchases.
ORDERING. Users in the U.S. can order the part directly from Weitek by
calling (408) 738-8400. It will also be available through Weitek
distributors in Europe and Japan.
FAXBACK. For Faxback information, users can call (800) 827-8708.
E-MAIL. Requests for information can also be sent by electronic mail, to
cpu-upgrade@weitek.com. (This will result in hard-copy information being
sent, so please include name, address, and phone number.)
WEITEK CORPORATION
Weitek Corporation makes processors and controllers that enhance the
performance of standard operating systems, user interfaces and application
software. The company's products are used to build faster and more intuitive
desktop computers and peripherals.
- 30 -
SPARC is a registered trademark of SPARC International, Inc. All SPARC
trademarks, including SPARC International and SPARC Compliant are registered
trademarks of SPARC International. SPARCstation is a trademark of SPARC
International licensed exclusively to Sun Microsystems, Inc. SPARC Power is
a trademark of SPARC International licensed exclusively to Weitek. Products
bearing the SPARC trademark are based on an architecture developed by Sun
Microsystems, Inc.
Sun and Sun Microsystems are registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc.
IPX is a trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Weitek is a registered trademark of Weitek Corporation.
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