News & Press

Green Hills Software and Analog Devices Introduce velOSity Microkernel for Blackfin Processor Family

Co-development Program Delivers Synergistic Software-Hardware Solution for High-volume, Cost-sensitive Consumer Devices

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA —March 29, 2004 - Green Hills Software, Inc., the market leader in royalty-free real-time operating systems (RTOS), and Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI), a global leader in high-performance semiconductors, announced the availability of the initial release of a multi-year roadmap of product integrations that includes support for the velOSity microkernel and the MULTI Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for the Blackfin Processor family.

Designed to address the needs of high-volume, cost-sensitive embedded devices, the velOSity microkernel's support for Blackfin has also been optimized to take advantage of Blackfin's unique performance characteristics, maximizing velOSity's execution and footprint for this low-power, programmable embedded processor. This makes velOSityideal for ADI's ADSP-BF53x processor family, targeting a broad range of consumer applications such as digital cameras, portable media players, networked media adapters, data/media gateways, Internet Protocol (IP) set-top boxes, and automotive infotainment and safety systems, as well as for ADI's new dual-core ADSP-BF561, ideal for use in both standard and high-definition video applications.

"Our Blackfin Processor has been designed specifically to meet the cost, computational demands and power constraints of today's high-volume embedded audio, video, and communications applications," said Gerald McGuire, general manager, Media Platforms and Services Group, Analog Devices, Inc. With the velOSity microkernel and Green Hills Software's high-end INTEGRITY RTOS, OEM's can easily scale from the small, velOSity microkernel for use in consumer applications such as digital cameras, to the high-end, secure and reliable INTEGRITY RTOS, without making code changes. Green Hills Software's scalable microkernel and RTOS strategy is a powerful complement to the family of Blackfin Processors offered today."

"The ADI Blackfin Processor family offers breakthrough technology in several ways. Its architecture lets users carry out both the signal processing functions and control functions that are needed to produce complete products in the competitive consumer market on one processor," said Dan O'Dowd, chief executive officer and founder of Green Hills Software, Inc. "Through our collaboration with ADI, we are able to offer seamless integration between the velOSity microkernel, INTEGRITY RTOS and our widely-adopted MULTI IDE for ADI's family of Blackfin Processors."

O'Dowd added, "The price-performance of the Blackfin Processors is well suited for the small, fast and royalty-free velOSity microkernel, allowing customers to minimize product costs, while maximizing performance. This combination of velOSity and Blackfin provides OEM's a complete solution that enables the rapid development and deployment of cost-effective, high-volume embedded devices for the consumer market space."

About ADI's Blackfin Processor Family

Based on the Micro Signal Architecture (MSA) jointly developed with Intel Corporation, ADI's Blackfin Processor family combines a 32-bit RISC-like instruction set with 16-bit dual multiply accumulate (MAC) signal processing functionality and ease-of-use attributes found in general-purpose microcontrollers. Dynamic Power Management enables breakthrough power consumption by allowing the simultaneous adjustment of operating frequency and voltage under application control.

More on Green Hills Software's Complete Solution

The velOSity microkernel is the kernel that forms the foundation of the totally-reliable INTEGRITY RTOS. The velOSity microkernel's state-of-the-art architecture guarantees the absolute minimum interrupt latency by never disabling interrupts in service calls. The velOSity microkernel runs on custom hardware without any porting or customization required; it is completely hardware independent and does not require a board support package (BSP) or any other hardware-specific code. Both velOSity and INTEGRITY share common services, device drivers, BSP's, middleware and network stacks, along with common MULTI tools integration and debug features so that software written for the velOSity microkernel will run unmodified on products using the INTEGRITY RTOS.

About Green Hills Software

Founded in 1982, Green Hills Software Inc. is the technology leader for real-time operating systems and software development tools for 32- and 64-bit embedded systems. Our royalty-free INTEGRITY and velOSity RTOSes, compilers, MULTI and AdaMULTI Integrated Development Environments and TimeMachine debugger, offer a complete development solution that addresses both deeply embedded and high-reliability applications. Green Hills Software is headquartered in Santa Barbara, CA, with European headquarters in the United Kingdom.

About Analog Devices, Inc.

Analog Devices is a leading manufacturer of precision high-performance integrated circuits used in analog and digital signal processing applications. The company is headquartered in Norwood, Massachusetts and employs approximately 8,600 people worldwide. It has manufacturing facilities in Massachusetts, California, North Carolina, Ireland, the Philippines, and the United Kingdom. Analog Devices' stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and the company is included in the S&P 500 Index.

Green Hills Software, the Green Hills logo, MULTI, INTEGRITY, velOSity, AdaMULTI and TimeMachine, Green Hills Probe and Slingshot are trademarks or registered trademarks of Green Hills Software, Inc. in the U.S. and/or internationally. All other trademarks and products are the property of their respective owners.

North American Sales Contact:
Green Hills Software, Inc.
30 West Sola Street,
Santa Barbara, CA 93101,
Tel: 805-965-6044
Fax: 805-965-6343
Website: www.ghs.com
Email: sales@ghs.com

International Sales Contact:
Green Hills Software Ltd.
Fleming Business Centre
Leigh Road
Eastleigh
Hampshire SO50 9PD
UNITED KINGDOM
Tel: +44 (0)2380 649660
Fax: +44 (0)2380 649661
Email: mktg-europe@ghs.com

Media Contacts:
Green Hills Software, Inc.
Lynn J. Robinson
(805) 965-6044
lynnr@ghs.com

Patterson & Associates
Barbara Stewart
(480) 488-6909
barbara@patterson.com