Cadence Revs V8 Tensilica Xtensa

The customizable Tensilica Xtensa LX8 adds an L2 cache and branch-target buffer to boost performance. An improved DMA engine should increase performance on AI and other applications.

Joseph Byrne

For the first time in seven years, Cadence has released a major update to its licensable Tensilica Xtensa LX processing subsystem. The new Xtensa LX8 is the first Xtensa to offer an L2 cache, improving its performance on applications with large working sets.

Available now to early-access customers, the LX8 also improves branching and revises functions surrounding the core. In addition to benefiting designers who tailor Xtensa to their unique requirements, updating the baseline Xtensa provides Cadence with a new foundation upon which to refresh its DSPs.