NXP has developed four next-generation PowerQUICC™ III processors based on the scalable e500 system-on-chip (SoC) platform and Power Architecture processor core. These PowerQUICC^® III processors, the MPC8548E, MPC8547E, MPC8545E and MP8543E, are designed to deliver gigahertz-plus communications processing performance and advanced features with the exceptional integration and high-speed connectivity required by enterprise networking, telecom transmission and switching, 3G wireless infrastructure, storage and high-end imaging markets.. The processors are designed to offer clock speeds scaling up to 1.5 GHz. They combine the powerful processor core, enhanced peripherals and high-speed interconnect technology to balance processor performance with I/O system throughput.

The next-generation PowerQUICC III processors are based on NXP^®.s 90 nanometer (nm) silicon-on-insulator (SOI) copper interconnect process technology, which enables processors to deliver higher performance with lower power dissipation. At 1.5 GHz, these new processors deliver a significant performance increase over current 130 nm PowerQUICC III devices.

The MPC8548E, MPC8547E, MPC8545E and MP8543/E processors offer a wide range of high-speed connectivity options, including Gigabit Ethernet, Serial RapidIO^® technology and PCI Express. Support for these high-speed interfaces enables scalable connectivity to network processors and/or ASICs in the data plane while the PowerQUICC III handles complex, computationally demanding control plane processing tasks. These processors also feature next-generation double data rate (DDRII) memory controller, enhanced, Gigabit Ethernet support, double precision floating point and integrated security engines that support the Kasumi alogrithm needed for 3G wireless security. In addition, support is provided for XOR acceleration needed for parity in storage applications.

The 8543E, 8545E, 8547E, and 8548E: Application-Specific and Market-Driven

MPC8548E networking/telecom processor - Key features include 512KB L2 cache, integrated security engine, 64-bit DDR1/2 scaling to533 MHz data rate, dual 32-bit PCI or 64-bit PCI-X, 4-bit Serial RapidIO fabric technology and 4-bit PCI-Express (or single 8-bit PCI Express 1.0a), local bus IO interfaces, and four Gigabit Ethernet interfaces. The combination of these features makes this device an optimal communications processing solution for Ethernet-only or RapidIO interworking applications, such as enterprise networking, telecom transmission and switching and 3G wireless basestations. The security engine includes Kasumi algorithm acceleration, making the MPC8548E an ideal choice for enhancing security protocol processing in 2.5G and 3G wireless network infrastructure.

MPC8547E storage processor - Key features include 512KB L2 cache, integrated security acceleration with Exclusive Or (XOR) capability, support for battery-backed 64-bit DDR1/2 scaling to 533 MHz data rate, 64-bit PCI-X, 8-bit PCI Express and four Gigabit Ethernet interfaces. The device's XOR acceleration enhances system performance by offloading the compute-intensive parity checks in small-medium business (SMB) and enterprise redundant array of inexpensive disks (RAID) storage applications.

MPC8545E imaging processor - Key features include 512KB L2 cache, 64-bit DDR1/2 scaling up to 533 MHz data rate, integrated security, dual 32-bit PCI/single 64-bit PCI, 4-bit PCI Express and two Gigabit Ethernet interfaces. The MPC8545E also offers double precision floating point, a capability that makes this device a high-performance processing solution for a wide range of imaging applications.

MPC8543E general-purpose control processor - Key features include 256KB L2 cache, integrated security, 64-bit DDR1/2 scaling up to 400 MHz data rate, 32-bit PCI, 4-bit Serial RapidIO or 4-bit PCI Express, and two Gigabit Ethernet interfaces. With clock frequencies scaling from 800 MHz to 1 GHz, this cost-effective device is ideally suited for a wide range of general-purpose embedded control applications, such as robotics, discrete manufacturing and process manufacturing control.