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# 49
 
 

THE CHALLENGE OF THE PC-ON-CHIP

1 The STPC concept was born in 1995when ST Microelectronics realized that they had ownership or access to most of the building blocks or functions required to make a PC like system on a single silicon chip.

2 ST therefore had two initial tasks: to evaluate the technical options in building a single chip PC and to investigate the market's need for such a device. For the first task, ST assembled an engineering team that combined experience of PC system design, simulation techniques and testing methodology. For the second task, early meetings with major customers in Japan, Asia, Europe and USA confirmed that the way to go was to offer a PC like functionality, to put it in a single package and ensure full x86 software compatibility. Although this seems like an obvious requirement now, it was not universally recognized at the time; some competitors even developed 'single chip PCs' that could not actually run DOS, let alone (1) Windows!

3 The x86 architecture pervasiveness (2) that conquered the PC industry is strongly placed to invade the huge range of emerging ultra low cost PC applications, as well as the embedded application markets where, today, more than ten different architectures battle for leadership.

4 Doors would then open to the STPCs for unlimited applications such as dedicated industrial PCs, telecommunications PBXs (3), web browsers or connecting devices, thin clients (4) , in flight entertainment, Karaoke players, telephone routers, mobile base PCs, education PCs, dedicated computing devices such as medical PCs, process controls, RTOS applications, car devices, computing stations and many, many more ... provided that the right technological choices were made!

CONCEPT TO PRACTICE

5 The engineering team decided to start with the well established and cost-proven x86 pipeline model but to enhance the flexibility and performance of a tightly coupled Unified Architecture (UMA).

6 The challenge to the engineering team was therefore to develop a methodology that would allow the implementation of a 'Lego' type of concept that optimized flexibility, dependability, reusability, faster system simulation and early testing.This approach not only allows memory system cost savings but also enables a real System-On Chip approach, thanks to a significant decrease in the number of interface pins required for the block to block interconnects.

7 The PCI bandwidth limitation was circumvented (5) by connecting memory and VGA directly to the system bus, which was expanded from 32 bits to 64. This gave birth to a P90 equivalent class system with a device running at 133MHz on a 66MHz system clock, with the option of more powerful x86 cores allowing almost unlimited performance evolution. Using this approach, ST has so far developed three different Single Chip PC implementations, each carefully optimized for different market segments but retaining the common and essential advantage of full PC compatibility.

Challenge, News and Views from ST Microelectronics, December 1998

1. let alone : et encore moins
2. pervasive : répandu, courant
3. PBX : standard téléphonique d'abonné
4. thin client : client léger (ordinateur utilisé comme client d'un serveur)
5. to circumvent : contourner, éviter

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

1 Read the text quickly and pick up the linkwords which could translate ( in the order of the text)
: donc, par conséquent; bien que, alors que; comme par exemple, tel que; ainsi que, également ; à condition que; donc, par conséquent; grâce à; en (fais)ant.

2 Read again paragraphs 5 and 6 and pick up:
* compound adjectives with noun/adverb + past participle;
* a 4-word compound noun.

3 Analysing sentences.
a. §1 What does or ( "or access to most …") co-ordinate ?
b. §2 Analyse that in the following sentences:
* an engineering team that combined experience"
* early meetings (…) confirmed that the way to go was to offer".
c. What does but co-ordinate in paragraph 5 (" but to enhance…") and paragraph 7 ("but retaining the common and essential advantage of full PC compatibility")?

4 Acronyms
§1: STPC - §3: DOS - §4:PBX ; RTOS - §7: PCI; VGA
array - branch - component - disk - exchange - graphic - interconnect - operating - private - peripheral - real-time - system - video.
* Which acronym is the trade-mark of a computer?
* What do they others stand for?

5 Vocabulary
a. Word building:
* Look at § 1 and 3 and pick up two words with the suffix -SHIP and one with the suffix -NESS. Are these suffixes used to build nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs? What do the root words mean? What do the resulting words mean?
* How would you translate…? l'amitié, l'apprentissage, le partenariat; le bonheur, la faiblesse, la franchise.
b. Fill in the table with the corresponding nouns or verbs, as required.

6 Answer the questions.
§1What decision did ST take in 1995? Why was the enterprise able to take this decision?
§2 Name the two initial tasks that had to be performed. What decisions were taken so as to carry out these two tasks? What were the final conclusions of these first meetings? Do you think these conclusions were easily accepted at the time?
§3 The x86 architecture is 'pervasive'. What domains has it extended to (and will it extend to)? Is this architecture the only one on the market?
§4 Why did they feel it was necessary to have PC compatibility?
§5 What was the engineering teams' choice regarding the architectute to be used? What did they think they wpould have to improve?
§6 What would the methodology chosen permit to do? What would the advantages of a 'Lego' type concept be? What are the two advantages of this concept? How is a real system-on-chip approach implemented?
§7 Why was it decided to connect memory and VGA to the system bus? What change did the system bus undergo? What are the specifications of this chip? Why has ST decided to make three different models? What have they got in common?

LANGUAGE STUDY

1 Use: decide, mean, intend, make up one's mind, insist on, want, aim at to express what ST decided. (design a PC-on-chip; evaluate the technical options, etc… See paragraphs 1 to 4).
e.g. ST intended to design a PC-on-chip / Engineers made up their minds to retain full PC compatibility.

2 Compare these examples:
* There is advantage in offering PC-like functionality.
* It is advantageous to offer PC-like functionality.
Use this structure ( it is + adjective + to) and the following adjectives (or their contrary): advantageous, desirable,essential, instructive, necessary, possible.
* They will profit by starting with the x86 pipeline model;
* They want to enhance flexibility.
* They must eliminate bandwidth limitation;
* They must consider system cost.
* There would be disadvantage in not being PC compatible.
* They are well advised to retain full PC compatibility.
* They learnt by talking to customers.
* They are now in a position to develop three different implementations.

3 Supply the missing preposition: about, from, in, into, of, to, with, with, with.
* When the company thought they were capable … building a single-chip PC, they began talking … potentila customers … the specifications they expected. they especially paid attention … compatibility … the prevailing x86 architecture.
* A PC-on-chip is different … a conventional PC in that (= en ce que) all the basic comonents are integrated … a single chip thus resulting … much lower costs while providing users … high-performance solutions.

4 Look at Figure 1 ( Typical x86 PC setup) and oppose / contrast both architectures using linkwords expressing this notion. What can you say about the advantages of a PC-on-chip?
Students can refer to the Students' Toolbox part 5(d) or the Wrting Course, Unit 5 (3) [To be found in the 'Contents of the Data Bank' page]
e.g. While the design of a PC may seem very complex, a PC-on-chip looks quite simple / It must offer benefits over a conventional PC in terms of costs.

5 Written work.
a. Turn the following notes into full sentences by adapting / translating the words between brackets.
1 The picture (to compare) the setup of a PC / conventional) (preposition?) a single-chip PC.
2 A PC ( to compose / passive) ( preposition?) (beaucoup de) (parts / different).
3 The architecture of a single-chip PC ( to look) very simple.
4 A PC ( to compose/ passif) (preposition?) ( plusieurs) cards: various controllers, I/O devices, various buses.
5 In a single-chip PC, all the (requirements / basic) of the system ( to integrate / passif) (preposition?) one chip.
6 The fact of (use ? using ? to use?) this approach (to allow) to retain the (advantages / common and essential) of full PC compatibility; it also provides ( applications / low-cost).
b. Improve your first draft.
* Sentences 2 and 3: link the two sentences ewxpressing contrast.
* Sentence 4: Begin the second part with a link word used to introduce examples.
* Sentences 4 and 5: Contrast the two sentences with :'on the one hand… on the other'.
* Sentence 5: Transform 'the basic …system' into a compound noun.
* Sentence 6: Recast with a gerund (= an ING form) as subject of the sentence. Link the two parts with 'while' + contracted adverb clause (= forme elliptique).

6 Translation (Paragraph 6)
a. Have a look again at exercises 1 and 2 (Understanding the text).
b. Sentence1: Pick up two relative pronouns. Which word does each one represent ? (Quel est l'antécédent de chacun?) What are the tenses of the three conjugated verbs?
c. Sentence 2: 'not only' is part of a set phrase (= expression toute faite). What is the second part of this set phrase? Pick up the compound nouns.
d. Translate the paragraph into French.

7 Discuss what advantges a PC-on-chip can bring in the following cases:
* a smart kitchen with its domestic appliances;
* a smart car (anti-collision and navigation aids);
* mobile phones; " in-flight entertainment.

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