Wave Issue 2004 1/25/00 Article 10-01

***Texas Instruments and Ericsson Cooperate on a DSP-based Open
Multimedia
(January 10)

Texas Instruments (TI) Incorporated and Ericsson announced that
Ericsson would use TI's DSP-based Open Multimedia Application
Platform (OMAP) in its next generation wireless Internet
handsets, communicators and mobile computing devices. This
platform, utilizing TI's DSP technology, will enable wireless
Internet access, including future voice, data and video functions
such as digital audio, e-commerce and lower efficiency essential
to wireless communications devices.

Ericsson and TI will develop an optimized subsystem within TI's
digital baseband platform called a Gigacell. The Gigacell
consists of a TMS320 DSP core from TI, a dedicated ARM based
microcontroller, Direct Memory Access (DMA), memories and a set
of specific hardware blocks.

The Gigacell will be based on TI's Open Multimedia Applications
Platform -- a flexible hardware and software platform that will
support a wide range of applications and platforms within the
wireless market from basic voice and Internet services, to
advanced multimedia functionality. Each element of OMAP is
designed to be connected together and integrated with a
customer's own blocks.

TI will also make its OMAP platform available to other OEMs and
third parties for the development of new applications in the
wireless data market. A preliminary tool set is now available for
software designers to begin implementing applications. Customer
design can start today for silicon samples, with volume
production in the second half of 2000. TI will support this
platform with development chips, a software development kit and
clearly defined Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). The
APIs will be open and can be implemented by other vendors to
ensure an attractive DSP accelerated multimedia environment for
Independent Software Vendors (ISVs).