Hitachi Press Release
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READER CONTACT Hitachi America, Ltd., Semiconductor & I.C. Division 2000 Sierra Point Pkwy, MS-080, Brisbane, CA 94005-1897 Phone: 1-800-285-1601, Ext. 27 Request literature package: PMN13PR007P1 FAX: 1-303-297-0447 Hitachi's web site: http://www.hitachi.com Hitachi's SH-3 32-bit RISC Processor Emerges as CPU of Choice in Handheld PCs The third-generation SuperH(TM) RISC engine is the key processor for the Windows® CE operating system that drives an exciting new class of high-volume electronics products Brisbane, Calif., November 18, 1996 -- Hitachi America, Ltd., Semiconductor & I.C. Division announced that the SH-3 32-bit RISC microprocessor powers handheld PCs (HPCs) from five manufacturers (Casio® , Compaq, Hewlett-Packard Company, LG Electronics, Hitachi) of the seven that introduced such products at the Comdex Fall '96 show in Las Vegas, Nevada. The new systems--major entries into an innovative class of `personal access' products--are based on Microsoft®'s new Windows® CE operating system. Hitachi's SuperH RISC engine is the de facto standard for HPCs. Microsoft's Windows CE is an open, scaleable Windows® platform for a broad range of communications, entertainment and mobile computing devices. The standards-based Windows CE platform is an entirely new Operating System (OS) built from the ground up to make possible new categories of business and consumer devices that can communicate with each other, synchronize information with Windows PCs, and connect to the Internet. Because Windows CE is an open standard, various processors and software applications can be ported to the OS. The first Windows CE product category is the Handheld PC. Hitachi worked with Microsoft and OEMs to deliver technology for this new high-volume electronics market. OEMs Cite Range of Reasons for Selection of the Hitachi SH-3 According to Hideaki Ishida, general manager, Communication Technology Laboratories at Casio, "To achieve a handheld PC at a consumer price, Casio's designers selected the 32-bit RISC with the best price/performance and best code efficiency for our application: the SH-3." Kian Sin Yeo, R&D project manager at HP, said, "On-chip integration was a primary criterion for the HP design team. To hit our palmtop-PC targets for functionality and performance, we selected the SH-3 as the most efficient solution." "LG Electronics engineers chose the SH-3 to meet our high-performance CPU requirements while staying within the handheld PC design boundaries for power consumption and cost," stated Nam Sik Joo, chief research engineer at LG Electronics. SH-3: Designed from the Outset with Products such as HPCs in Mind According to George Saul, deputy general manager and vice president of marketing of Hitachi America, "The design wins at Casio, Compaq, HP, LG Electronics, and Hitachi are a global validation for the SH-3 by key computer and consumer electronics OEMs, and continue the strong sales growth of the SuperH architecture. The primary reason for this success is simple: Hitachi SH RISC processors are designed from the outset with the requirements in mind of emerging markets for products that provide `personal access' to information, communication, and entertainment. The SH series deliver the optimal combination of price, performance, power consumption, integration, and code density. To prolong battery life, SH devices offer 3.3 V operation at 60 MHz (60 MIPS), and low power modes. They achieve computing power efficiencies up to 143 MIPS/Watt. All of this enables a manufacturer of HPCs to offer best-in-class systems today, and higher-speed, lower-power devices are on the way." Key Issues for Buyers of Handheld PCs The four main needs that users will factor into their HPC purchase decision appear to be performance (the ability to run a Windows-like GUI and fast execution of versions of Word and Excel), easy connectivity, a two-way data synchronization capability between a user's HPC and their desktop or notebook PC, and consumer based pricing. Other user issues include long battery life (at least a month), instant-on functionality, PIM (personal information manager) functions, and the flexibility to support future applications and peripherals. Compact size is a given. Future application interests include personal access to network information, wireless communication capabilities, and entertainment. The primary HPC design challenges for OEMs include reducing the memory requirement, reducing the IC count, integration of multiple interfaces such as PCMCIA, IrDA, and serial I/O, and producing systems in volume within the market window. Power management, low voltage operation, and obtaining high throughput with low power dissipation are other immediate system design concerns, as are hardware/software development tools, system development support, and the availability of hardware and software `modules' that enable OEMs to readily add features such as handwriting recognition and wireless modems to their HPCs. Longer-term design issues include a CPU road map that will allow HPC products to advance and evolve as the market develops, and a Visual C++ development environment. To help OEMs reduce their time to market, Hitachi will offer a hardware and software reference platform as part of a complete development environment based on Microsoft's Visual C++. Hitachi's technology roadmap for the SuperH RISC architecture addresses the long-term concerns of OEMs. That roadmap encompasses the 45 MIPS/45 MHz, 60 MIPS/60 MHz and 100 MIPS/100 MHz versions of the SH-3 and extends to the superscalar 300 MIPS/200 MHz SH-4 architecture and beyond. Reader Contact For information on SH-3 series 32-bit RISC processors, readers can request literature package # PMN13PR007P1 from Hitachi America, Ltd., S. & I.C. Division, 2000 Sierra Point Pkwy, MS-080, Brisbane, CA 94005-1819. Or they can call 1-800-285-1601, Ext. 27 or Fax 1-303-297-0447 to request literature or for referral to the closest sales location. Updated information about the SuperH RISC engine is also available at Hitachi's Web site: http://www.hitachi.com About Hitachi Hitachi America, Ltd., Semiconductor & I.C. Division supports the requirements of the North American marketplace with a broad range of standard and low power semiconductor solutions, including RISC and CISC embedded controllers and microprocessors, SDRAMs, DRAMs, memory modules, Flash devices and cards, Ferroelectric RAM (FRAM® ) devices, SGRAMs, VRAMs, frame memory, SRAMs, MROMs, EEPROMs, ASICs, optoelectronic devices, digital video camera components, hard disk drive ICs, and wireless communications components. Substantial design engineering, manufacturing, and research and development facilities in the United States help bring the world's best technology to U.S. customers. Hitachi's highly optimized SuperH(TM) RISC engine architecture provides the most efficient solution for emerging applications and power-sensitive systems without sacrificing performance, and is the shipment leader in 32-bit RISC*. The H8 series of embedded controllers, which includes the H8/300, H8/300L, and H8/300H series, provides the full benefits of modern 8/16-bit general-purpose-register CISC architecture, including efficient execution of high-level language programs. The H8S series bridges the gap between the two, combining upward compatibility from H8 devices, performance approaching RISC devices, and very low power consumption. Hitachi America, Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd., Japan, markets and manufactures a broad range of electronics, computer systems, and products, and provides industrial equipment and services throughout the United States. Hitachi, Ltd. is the world's leading global electrical/electronics company**, with fiscal 1995 consolidated sales (ending March 31, 1996) of $76.6 billion. The company is a leading technology innovator, perennially among the top recipients of U.S. patents (Hitachi's total: 4,698 for the most recent five-year period, 1988 through 1995).
Windows® CE Applications
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| Handheld PC User Needs | OEM Design Challenges | Hitachi SH Solutions |
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- Pocket Word, Pocket Excel - PIM functions - Communication and connectivity |
- System development support - Hardware and software `modules' that allow the addition of features such as handwriting recognition and wireless modems to basic system designs |
- Voice activated command and control - Two-way paging - Digital cellular (GSM) - V.32bis FAX/data modem - JPEG |
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