Analog Devices SHARC Processors 82-003536-01 - Manual (Page 15)

Getting Started With SHARC Processors 1-1
1 INTRODUCTION TO SHARC
PROCESSORS
This chapter briefly describes the SHARC processor’s architecture and key
features and compares available models.
Topics include:
• “What are SHARC Processors?” on page 1-1
• “Four Generations of SHARC Processors” on page 1-5
What are SHARC Processors?
SHARC is the name of a family of high performance 32-bit floating-point
processors based on a Super Harvard Architecture. SHARC processors
dominate the floating-point digital signal processing market, delivering
exceptional core and memory performance complemented by outstanding
I/O throughput. The industry standard SHARC family makes float-
ing-point processing economical for applications where performance and
dynamic range are key considerations such as home, professional, and
automotive audio, medical, and industrial and instrumentation products.
The SHARC processor portfolio currently consists of four generations of
products providing code-compatible solutions, ranging from entry-level
products priced at less than $10 to the highest performance products
offering fixed- and floating-point computational power to 450 MHz/2700
MFLOPs. Regardless of the specific product choice, all SHARC processors
provide a common set of features and functionality usable across many
signal processing markets and applications. This baseline functionality