High Performance 32-bit CPU

1.69 DMIPS/MHz
Variable length (16/24/32/48 bits) instruction encoding
Single-cycle execution on most instructions
Fast and precise internal interrupt response
Custom user instructions

Small Silicon Footprint & Low Power Consumption

Industry-leading code density

Compact code minimizes instruction memory area & power
32-bit architecture reduces power-draining memory accesses

19k gates and low as 0.05mW/MHz on 90nm

Fast & Flexible Memory Access

Harvard-style, separate Instructions and Data caches
Tightly coupled Quick Memory for fast and deterministic access to code and/or data

Efficient Power Management

Further reduces power consumption by 2x to 100x using dynamic clock gating for individual units
Software controlled clock frequency in slow and idle modes
Interrupt wake-up in doze and sleep modes

Advanced Debug Capability

Conventional target-debug agent with a debug exception handler
Non-intrusive debug/trace for both the CPU and the system
Complex chained watchpoint and breakpoint conditions
Uses industry standard Amontec JTAGKey USB to JTAG interface

Integrated Peripherals

Standard:32 bit tick timer, programmable interrupt controller with 32 maskable interrupt sources

Optional Peripherals

AMBA bus infrastructure
Microcontroller peripherals such as GPIO. UART, Real-Time Clock, and Timers
Serial communication cores such as I2C and SPI
Memory controllers, interconnect IP and more

Easy Software Development

Eclipse IDE for Windows, Linux

ANSI C/C++ compiler, debugger, linker, assembler, & utilities

Architectural simulator

Ported libraries & RTOS

Contact Sales
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+1 800.391.8300

PDF Datasheets

ASIC
Altera, Xilinx

Options

Additional peripherals may be added before delivery of the core.

A hardware reference design board is available.

CAST Integration Services are available to help integrate this core with other CAST IP cores.

Try It Yourself

Evaluate the BA22's features and performance in your own environment with the Talos Series Evalation Kit.

Related Products

The BA22 Processor Family includes a set of royalty-free, pre-configured products intended for different applications:

Compare
Versions

BA22-DE 32-bit Deeply Embedded Processor, for deeply embedded applications that use on-chip instruction and data memories.
BA22-AP Application Processor, for demanding embedded applications that use off-chip instruction and data memories and that may need to run a real-time operating system (RTOS) or a full operating system such as Linus or Android.
BA25 32-bit Advanced Application Processor, for demanding systems running applications on general-purpose operating systems such as Linux and Android. The high-performance BA25™ processor runs at high clock frequencies yet has a smaller silicon footprint than most competing application processors (e.g., over 800MHz and 350Kgates in TSMC65nmLP, 12-track library).
BA22-PiP Pre-Integrated Platform offers a wide range of peripherals available as a complete bundle or separately.

Related Information

Webinar

CPU Subsystem Total Power Consumption: Understanding the Factors and Selecting the Best IP

This popular December 2012 webinar discussed looking beyond published CPU efficiency stats in choosing a processor core for a low-power system. See the webinar recording or slides >

News Releases

01/29/13, New 32-bit BA25 Application Processor Adds More Performance to Royalty-Free BA2x Family

01/22/13, Updated IDE and Latest GCC Toolset Improve Application Development for BA2x Family Processors

04/26/12, CAST’s Talos Evaluation Kits Help Designers Choose the Best Microcontroller/Processor IP Cores

07/28/11, CAST Releases Royalty-Free 32-bit BA22 Processor Cores for Embedded Systems

06/03/11, CAST Complements Popular 8051 Family with New 32-bit Processor Core Partnership

CAST Articles

Published Articles

CAST: feeling the DesignCon vibe
EDACafe, Peggy Aycinena, 1/30/2013

DesignCon 2013 Yields IP, RF, DoE, and Mind Surprises
IP Insider, John Blyler, 2/1/2013

CAST announces royalty-free BA22 32-bit RISC IP
EE Times, Ron Wilson, 8/3/2011

Customer Experiences

"We went from licensing the BA22 processor [to] tape-out in just 5 months," said Ram Rangarajan, VP of Imaging Products at inSilica. "... Despite our stringent requirements, integration and software development was straightforward. "
— inSilica Announces Tape-Out of Its Next Generation Camera Processor With BA22 Embedded RISC processor, Dec. 10, 2009

32-bit RISC ProcessorIP CoreBA22-EMBA22 32-bit Embedded Processor

Implements a 32-bit processor for deeply embedded applications that use off-chip instruction and data memories and that may need to run a real-time operating system (RTOS). Part of the royalty-free BA22 family, this processor core is extremely competitive in terms of high performance and low power consumption, and has best-in-class code density (yielding very small program size).

The core has Instruction and Data Caches, optional dedicated buses for tightly coupled on-chip Instruction and Data memories, and an AMBA® AHB™ or Wishbone system bus interface. It includes up to 32 general purpose registers (GPRs), a tick-timer (TTimer), a programmable interrupt controller (PIC), an advanced power management unit (PMU), and an optional debug unit (DBGU). Additional microcontroller peripherals may be ordered for pre-integration and delivery with the core, individually or in a complete platform. IP Integration Services are also available to help integrate any BA22 processor configuration with memory controllers, image compression, or other CAST IP cores.

The processor’s BA2 instruction set is relatively simple and extremely compact. Programing is facilitated with the included C/C++ tool chain, Eclipse IDE, architectural simulator, and ported C libraries.

The BA22-EM synthesizes to less than 20k gates, can be clocked with more than 450MHz in a 65nm technology and can provide as many as 1.69 DMIPS/MHz. The core is delivered, with a complete software development environment under Eclipse IDE, and its users get access to already ported real time operating systems (eCOS and uClinux).

The BA22 family of processors has been designed for easy reuse and integration, has been rigorously verified, and is production proven. Contact CAST Sales for details.

BA22-EM reference designs have been evaluated in a variety of technologies. See representative implementation results (in a new pop-up window):

Applications

Mixed signal embedded processing
Portable and wireless
Internet, networking and telecom
Automotive
Home entertainment consumer electronics

Block Diagram

Block diagram for 32-bit BA22 embedded processor - BA22-EM

Processor Description

The BA22 family uses a 32-bit processor architecture designed for high performance with great silicon and power efficiency.

The highly configurable design may include caches and memory management units, enhanced arithmetic processing capabilities such as a divider and floating point unit, a sophisticated power management unit, and an interactive, JTAG-based debug capability.

The BA22-EM is one pre-configured version of the BA22, targeted for a variety of deeply embedded applications.

BA22 processors are also designed for quick, efficient software development. The BA2 instruction set they use provides the highest code density in its class, without compromises on performance, ease of use, or scalability. It features:

A linear, 32-bit or 64-bit logical address space
An instruction length of 16, 24, 36, 48, or 64 bits, which reduces memory requirements by as much as 40%.
Simple memory addressing modes
Configurable general purpose registers (12 to 32 GPRs)
Efficient memory transfer instructions

The BA22 has already proven itself in multiple production designs.

Support and Services

The core as delivered is warranted against defects for 90 days from purchase. Thirty days of phone and email technical support are included, starting with the first interaction. Additional maintenance and support options are available.

IP Integration Services are also available to help minimize time to market for BA22-based systems.

Deliverables

The core is available for ASICs in synthesizable HDL, and includes everything required for successful implementation:

Verilog RTL source code
Verilog Testbench
Silicon-proven Reference SoC/ASIC Design
Software development tools for Cygwin on Windows and Linux, with Eclipse IDE interface
Operating systems and board support package

A reference design board running Linux and FPGA versions of the core are also available; contact CAST Sales for information.