A 533 MHz Alpha Microprocessor "21164PC Debut
The Fastest Microprocessor for Windows NT Desktop

Tokyo, March 18, 1997 -- Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (president: Takashi Kitaoka) today announced to offer a 64-bit Alpha microprocessor "21164PC-533MHz " (M3D21164 PCGS) for Windows NT desktop PCs. This is a result of a joint development between Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) of the United States, targeting less than $3,000 desktop PC market. It achieves the fastest microprocessor for the Windows NT desktop.

Sample shipments commence from the Saijyo-factory, Ehime prefecture, in June 1997, and are expected to achieve a volume production of 1 million units annually in 1998.

• Overview of product

  Mitsubishi Electric and DEC has jointly developed the Alpha microprocessor since 1993, and have successfully developed new high performance microprocessors. Alpha microprocessor 21164PC will run at 533 MHz, demonstrating the best performance in its price range for Windows PCs, fully doubling the price-performance ratio of PCs using other processors in its price range.

  In the overall PC market, the Windows NT PC market is expected to account for 15 million units in 1998. Mitsubishi Electric intends to enter the microprocessor applied for Windows NT PC market with this powerful microprocessor at the full scale, and enhance the development of semiconductors for information processing devices as key devices in the multimedia society in future. Mitsubishi Electric is developing next generation products with higher speed and lower power consumption in collaboration with DEC.

• Characteristics of the 21164PC

  1. Best performance in its price range for Windows PCs
  It demonstrates fully double the price-performance ratio of PCs using other processors in its price range.

  - Its performance equals or exceeds workstations in all areas, as measured by the performance of 14.3SPECint95 and 17.0SPECfp95@533MHz (estimates). (Note 1)

  2. Industry-leading multimedia performance
  It enables users to utilize all Windows PC software.
  - The "FX!32," X86 translator software developed by DEC automatically converts instruction codes for Alpha.

  3. A comprehensive technical support system jointly in collaboration with DEC
  A comprehensive technical support system for PC development assists early entry of OEMs into the PC market with, for instance, the provision of standard boards by DEC A partnership with DEC and Korea's Samsung Electronic will ensure a broad range of supply system and expandability of the Alpha processor family into an upper grade model.

• Reasons and background of the development

  The personal computer market is an extremely important application field for memories and semiconductors in general. Microprocessors are the key device in this area, however, ranking top in sales volume, value-added, sophistication of design, and manufacturing technologies. Microprocessors are also the key to future systems technologies and devices needed in PCs, and will importantly determine the equipment that will support future Internet and multimedia-based services. Microprocessors will be the vital key factor in the future information age.

  Despite the remarkable performance improvements that have been achieved, the 32-bit microprocessor incorporating conventional architecture cannot deliver the performance that will be required for multimedia information processing. In recognition of this limitation, Mitsubishi Electric and DEC have jointly developed a high-performance 64 bit microprocessor. Named Alpha, the device offers sufficient surplus capacity to ensure that it warrants long-term commitment by many users.

  The technical details has already presented at International Solid State Circuit Conference (ISSCC) in San Francisco in February, 1997.

• Other characteristics

  1. Enables to accelerate the performance of video data compression algorithms of DVD (digital video disc) by software alone. Realizes high image quality H.323 video-conferencing by MVI (Motion Video Instruction) multimedia instructions.

  2. Various types of PC expansion cards can be used.

  3. With the exception of X86, Alpha's architecture is the only one which Microsoft has clearly stated that it will continue supporting.

  (Note 1): SPEC (System Performance Evaluation)
  Result of weighted average comparison against the SUN SuperSPARC10/40, using 18 different programs. SPECint indicates results from programs which conduct mainly integral number operations; SPECfp shows results from programs which conduct mainly floating point operation. SPEC (System Performance Evaluation Cooperative) is a non-profit organization whose members include the world's leading computer and LSI manufacturers.

• Key specifications of 21164PC

  Concurrent execution of four instructions (superscalar)
  - Full 64-bit architecture
  - Supports multimedia instruction, MVI (Motion Video Instruction).
  - Built-in 16KB/8KB instruction/data cache.
  - Supports PBSRAM/SDRAM. Has bandwidth of 1.6-2 GB/sec.
  - Process: Mitsubishi 0.3 micron 4-layer metal CMOS
  - Number of transistors: 3.5 million elements
  - Package: 413 pin ceramic IPGA
  - Internal operation frequency: 533/400 MHz
  - Power consumption: 27W@400MHz, 2.5V
  - Chip size: 16.28 mm x 8.76 mm

• Application

  Windows NT Desktop PC

• Price, sample and time of volume production

  Product name: M3D21164PCGS
  Sample shipments commence June 1997
  Volume production begins October 1997
  400 MHz product: 41,400 yen/unit for orders of 1,000+ units
  466MHz product: 53,400 yen/unit for orders of 1,000+ units
  533 MHz product: 65,400 yen/unit for orders of 1,000+ units

• Prospects

  Windows NT will spread among corporate users. Requirement for high-speed, real-time processing in such field as video-conferencing is expected to increase. It aims not only for PC, but also for multimedia support, higher speed, lower power consumption.

  *Windows NT is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.