Press Release: 2001-09-26: Imagination Technologies Acquires Cross Products

This is an unaltered copy of a press release, for use as a primary source on Sega Retro. Please do not edit the contents below. Language: English Original source: www.imgtec.com (archived)

New Strategic Addition to Provide Advanced Development Tools for Imagination's Multi-threaded META™ DSP Processor Core

Imagination Technologies Group plc has agreed to acquire the entire share capital of Cross Products Limited, a company specialising in designing and producing high-quality development tools for real-time embedded microprocessors and DSPs under the well-known CodeScape brand. CodeScape is best known as the leading worldwide provider of advanced tools for the Hitachi’s successful SuperH family of microprocessors and DSPs.

For microprocessor and DSP cores, advanced development tool support is critical in providing customers with a highly efficient development and programming process. The purchase achieves Imagination Technologies’ objective of ensuring its revolutionary multi-threaded META DSP Processor is supported by world-class tools. It is expected that a full suite of CodeScape tools will be available for the META core by the first half of 2002. Cross Products will become part of Imagination Technologies’ Metagence Technologies division and will continue to operate from its existing location in Leeds, England.

Cross Products’ CodeScape technology has been widely adopted by leading companies worldwide for many applications across the consumer, commercial, industrial, automotive, and other sectors. It consists of a set of multicore, real-time tools for high-performance embedded microprocessors and DSPs which includes source-level debuggers, advanced code profilers, fully cycle-accurate processor simulators, real-time bus monitors, and an integrated development environment.

The business is being acquired from Sega™ Corporation for a total consideration of £4.2 million, comprising £2.0 million in cash and £2.2 million in shares. The consideration is due on completion, which is expected by the end of September. For the year ending 31st March 2001, Cross Products generated £0.2m profit before tax on revenue of £1.6m and had net assets of £2.2m. Cash balances in Cross Products are currently around £1.8m.

Hossein Yassaie, CEO of Imagination Technologies says: “”;Cross Products will provide us with outstanding expertise and state-of-the-art technologies and products in the key areas of development tools and debuggers. This purchase is a logical and important step in the development of our META architecture and our ability to deliver effective, off-the-shelf intellectual property, fully supported with advanced development tools, to our customers. It will also continue its full support for the SuperH microprocessor architecture developed by Hitachi and STMicroelectronics.””;

The CodeScape product line up has today been further expanded to provide development support for Microsoft Windows CE as well as additional Hitachi processors.

Says Ian Oliver, VP of Development, CodeScape: “”;CodeScape is the dominant development system for SuperH and our joining with Imagination Technologies will enable its evolution so that CodeScape continues to be at the forefront of embedded development. CodeScape will now provide a comprehensive development environment for Imagination Technologies’ ground-breaking META architecture as well as continuing to support SuperH””.

Editors Note:-

Since 1989 Cross Products has produced leading-edge software and hardware tools, supporting a number of microprocessors and DSPs, for performance-critical embedded applications. These tools enable the rapid development of complex, real-time projects with demanding performance criteria. These qualities have seen Cross Products' technologies and products widely adopted in innovative applications across the consumer, commercial, industrial, automotive, and other sectors.

Cross Products develops both the CodeScape toolset and associated hardware development systems. The toolset includes source-level debuggers, advanced code profilers, fully cycle-accurate processor simulators, real-time bus monitors, and an integrated development environment. These tools deliver both the comprehensive functionality and excellent reliability required to rapidly take a project from initial hardware testing through real-time firmware development to high-level application development and product delivery.

Working closely with Hitachi, Cross Products has provided comprehensive support for the SuperH processors used in millions of systems. As part of Imagination Technologies it will continue to broaden its product range and enhance its CodeScape development environment to include further intelligent debugging hardware for both Hitachi and STMicroelectronics' SuperH-based processors and Imagination Technologies' META processor architecture.

Cross Products has also worked closely with embedded systems vendors to port real-time operating systems, such as Linux and Microsoft® Windows® CE, to target microprocessors, providing extensive debug support and expertise.

At the centre of CodeScape toolset is the Windows-based multi-core debugger. It provides extensive features for engineers working at all levels from hardware test to application development and performance tuning. The user-interface has been continually refined in close collaboration with thousands of developers to be intuitive and easily adaptable to suit individual working methods.

The associated DASH™ family of hardware development systems and debug products is designed to form a high-performance link between CodeScape and the hardware under development. They provide complete control of the target processor, including the ability to do ROM-less boot for hardware testing, and also provide high-speed communication channels to the PC via Ethernet. Advanced versions of the debug adapters provide extensive real-time hardware trace and profiling functionality.

Other projects undertaken by Cross Products include: collaboration with Sega on the design of the Dreamcast™ games console; development of hardware CD emulation and duplication systems; generation of a Portable MP3 player design; integration of Sega Dreamcast and Pace STB technology; and collaboration with Hitachi on the testing and development of on-chip debug functionality for SuperH® processors.

Several new products in the CodeScape family are also announced today (see separate release.) For more information visit www.codescape.com.

About Imagination Technologies Imagination Technologies Group plc is an international company that develops, licenses and supplies market-leading 2D/3D graphics, digital video, Digital Signal Processing, audio and speech technologies and products for consumer entertainment and PC markets. The company has deployed and planned technologies for games consoles, PCs, arcade entertainment machines, digital set-top boxes, in-car information/entertainment systems, and mobile devices. Since it was founded in 1985, the company has introduced, via licensing arrangements or directly, a succession of innovative technologies, silicon chips and add-in boards, which have played a major role in the development of multimedia and computer-based entertainment systems. Imagination Technologies Group plc has its corporate headquarters in the United Kingdom and is publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange (FTSE:IMG). More information is available on the Imagination Technologies web site at www.imgtec.com. Further details on CodeScape are available at www.codescape.com.

About Metagence Technologies Metagence Technologies - a division of Imagination Technologies - produces unique multi-threaded programmable DSP IP cores that allow real-time response while supporting efficient multi-function operation. Using true hardware multi-threading, the META family of processors deliver complex DSP and mathematical capabilities, real-time operation, flexibility and low power consumption essential to the next generation of entertainment and communications products. Comprehensive library and tool support enable embedded system designers to produce highly integrated META architecture based products quickly and easily. The Metagence Technologies META processor provides multiple programming contexts (threads) that can operate independently and concurrently. This allows systems that are conventionally partitioned into DSP and general-purpose functions to be implemented on one device with zero overhead for the switch from one thread to another and instant response to external stimuli. Visit www.metagence.com for more information.

Contact:	
David Harold/Julia Horne	tel +44 (0) 1923 260 511
Metagence Technologies	fax +44 (0) 1923 270 188
Imagination Technologies	email [email protected]