Critical Factors: Market Validation

Demand for flexibility - 38% of market and growing

Forced into custom IC to achieve performance

Performance requirements are increasing

$3.8B

$6.2B

FLEXIBILITY

DSP Processors

PERFORMANCE

Custom ICs

$10 Billion

1998 Total DSP

IC Sales

Data rates are above 1 MHz in 26% of new design starts -

Source: Forward Concepts 1997 survey

Look how favorably the DSP market has valued programmable solution. Despite their performance limitations DSP processors have grown over 33% per year for the last 10 years and now account for 38% of the total DSP IC market.

DSP performance demands are increasing, driven by everything from faster internet access to smart antennas for cellular base stations. A 1997 survey indicated that 25% of all new DSP design stars had data sample rates over a million samples per second and the percentage is growing.