| Abstract | Historically, many microprocessors have been developed, since it was invented in early 1970’s. Microprocessor design was always under the hardest competition, so they had been the technology driver for the semiconductor technology and the design methodology until recently. By discussing the relationship between the design methodology (EDA) revolution and the technology driver products transition, based upon famous Makimoto’s wave hypothesis, what happened to the microprocessor world is highlighted by showing typical examples.
As a recent example, the positioning of the Cell Broadband Engine as a high performance computing processor and as a flexible HW, is discussed mainly, also the performance result, and the future trend of the microprocessors towards multi-core are discussed. Then it is explained, why SpursEngine derived from Cell Broadband Engine had to be developed. SoC (combination of microprocessor and HW functional unit) for custom applications should be the technology driver, for the next decade, which is the first experience after microprocessor was born. The special requirements to the EDA system to realize next wave, are predicted. Finally, when the next wave comes, maybe after 2017, software centric era, what happens to the world, is briefly mentioned. |