NEC Electronics' 32-Bit V850ES/SA2 Microcontroller Receives Highest Scores for EEMBC Automotive Benchmarks

    SANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan. 21 NEC Electronics America, Inc.
today announced that its V850ES/SA2(TM) microcontroller (part number
uPD703201) received high scores for performance in automotive/industrial
benchmark tests conducted by the certification laboratories of the Embedded
Microprocessor Benchmark Consortium (EEMBC).  The scores were the highest
recorded to date by EEMBC for a 20-megahertz (MHz) device.
    To show that compiler efficiency has an impact on performance, NEC
Electronics America benchmarked the same C language code on two different
compilers and then compared the results, which differed noticeably by 7.5
percent. When executing the program with NEC Electronics' CA850 version 2.41
compiler, the V850ES/SA2 microcontroller received a consolidated out-of-the-
box score of 4.0 Automarks(TM).  When executing the same program with the
Green Hills Multi2000(R) V800(TM) version 3.5.1 compiler, the microcontroller
received an out-of-the-box score of 4.3 Automarks.
    The V850ES/SA2 32-bit microcontroller family features multiply-accumulate
(MAC) hardware, digital signal processing (DSP), and a variety of peripherals
that allow many DSP applications to be performed at a substantially lower cost
than typical solutions. In addition to their high real-time responsiveness and
one-clock execution of instructions, devices in the V850ES/SA2 family include
instructions suited to digital servo control applications: multiplication
instructions executed via a hardware multiplier, saturation instructions and
bit-manipulation instructions.
    Each device contains 16 kilobytes (KB) of random-access memory (RAM) and
256 KB of read-only memory (ROM) or flash memory, a 10-bit analog-to-digital
(A/D) converter, 8-bit digital-to-analog (D/A) converter, direct memory access
(DMA) controller, and a variety of other peripherals.
    "The V850ES/SA2 family is targeted at automotive applications, where its
A/D and D/A capabilities, along with numerous serial interfaces, make it well
suited for audio systems in cars," said David Lamar, senior marketing manager,
microcontroller strategic business unit, NEC Electronics America, Inc. "The
V850ES/SA2 family also provides a good peripheral mix that makes it popular in
a number of industrial applications."
    "With these new scores, NEC Electronics America once again demonstrates
its support for EEMBC and earns distinction as a 'gutsy' member, having now
certified and published a total of 48 EEMBC benchmark scores," said Markus
Levy, EEMBC president. "These new scores also are significant for how they
demonstrate the capabilities of two very different compilers. The varying code
size requirements of the NEC CA850 and the Green Hills Multi2000, along with
their respective strengths in specific benchmark kernels, are shown clearly by
the EEMBC score reports and thus provide designers with a wealth of
information to guide the choice of compiler for a specific application."
    Detailed EEMBC benchmark score reports for the V850ES/SA2 microcontroller
are available now from the EEMBC web site at http://www.eembc.org.

    About NEC Electronics America, Inc.
    NEC Electronics America, Inc., headquartered in Santa Clara, California,
is a wholly owned subsidiary of NEC Electronics Corporation, a leading
provider of semiconductor products encompassing advanced technology solutions
for the broadband and communications markets; system solutions for the mobile,
PC, automotive and digital consumer markets; and platform solutions for a wide
range of customer applications. NEC Electronics America offers solutions
ranging from standard products to system-on-a-chip (SoC) solutions, customized
products for next-generation designs, a local manufacturing facility in
Roseville, California, and the global manufacturing capabilities of its parent
company. NEC Electronics America is also the exclusive sales supplier of NEC
active-matrix LCD and PDP modules in North America. More information about the
products offered by NEC Electronics America, Inc. can be found at
http://www.necelam.com .

    NOTE:  NEC Electronics America, Inc., V850ES/SA2 and V800 are either
registered trademarks or trademarks of NEC Electronics Corporation in the
United States and/or other countries. EEMBC and Automarks are either a
registered trademark or trademark of the Embedded Microprocessor Benchmark
Consortium. Multi2000 is a registered trademark of Green Hills Software, Inc.
All other marks are property of their respective owners.