By editorial@silicon.com, 15 February 1999 15:54
NEWS Oxford University's Computing Laboratory claims to have devised a revolutionary alternative to the microprocessor, enabling electronic devices to be programmed instantly. The hardware compilation technology - which has yet to be given a name - is based on Handel-C, an ultra-fast programming language devised by academic, Ian Page. The system works in conjunction with a US software compiler called Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) chips. Page explained: "Our software operates on completely different principles to a microprocessor. It has no program and no instructions but can turn programmers' programs into hardware." Page described the difference between a normal chip and an FPRG chip as the difference between an eight and a 1000 lane highway. "Instead of doing things a step at a time - a process that usually slows computers down - the new system can operate multiples of tasks in parallel," he said. After eight years of development, Page believes the product is now at the stage to be exploited. With help from Isis Innovation, the University's technology spin-off arm, Page plans to market the product via his company, Embedded Solutions. Siemens and Ericsson are in the process of evaluating the technology for use in their own product development. When asked whether the new product will replace the microprocessor, Page replied: "I believe the two will evolve along side one another. Our technology offers a completely different cost performance and will enable users to do things differently. The two go together so well - I believe it's their destiny."
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