February 24, 2004 -- Integrated Silicon Solution, Inc. has launched the second in a line of patented CAM-based embedded search IP for communication networking systems. ISSI is now making its CAMTile technology available for embedded applications using the 0.18um process technology from Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC). The company claims that this offers the ideal solution for ASIC companies involved with networking related businesses, communication chip, and system companies who desire an embedded networking search function.

The SMIC 0.18um fine-grain CAMTile technology, along with the currently available TSMC 0.18um CAMTile, offers both device flexibility and performance. The CAMTile refers to a patent-pending fine granularity intelligent embedded CAM (Content Addressable Memory). The flexibility of the CAMTile architecture allows large numbers of CAMTiles to be integrated onto a single chip, enabling a parallel, and scalable, search table implementation. Any size CAM database table can easily be configured without any performance degradation simply by grouping CAMTiles to efficiently generate the desired width and depth CAM.

In addition, the CAMTile can achieve 100 million lookups per second per CAMTile. The patented CAM cell construction wastes no memory cells and allows the CAMTile to be configured as either a 1Kx64 binary or 1Kx32 ternary CAM with maximum efficiency. The dual-port architecture allows the CAMTile to read/write and search simultaneously, with all hazard detection performed automatically. It supports many other networking value-added functions, such as valid, aging, and static entry bits, next-free-entry lookup, age refresh on search hit, and global invalidate operations. A CAM-BIST (built-in self test) is also available to test the function, timing, and critical paths of the CAMTile.

As customer systems outgrow the need for a smaller, embedded CAM, they can transition into using ISSI's standalone IS51VV4064 CAM-based 533 MSPS multi-search processor, which uses the same technology and architecture.

Availability