News and Customer Events

Nexus News:

A comprehensive summary of the Nexus 1.0 specification is available in the following white paper written for the NorthCon/99 conference. This paper also describes an implementation of a Class 2 compliant Nexus port on a Motorola M-CORE processor.

The NorthCon/99 conference will be held at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon from October 5-7, 1999. More information can be obtained at www.northcon.org.



Microcontroller Interface Standard Closer to Becoming a Reality

Global Consortium for Embedded Processor Debug Interface Standard Strengthened with Nineteen New Members


SUNNYVALE, Calif., April 5, 1999 -- The Global Embedded Processor Debug
Interface Standard Consortium (www.nexus-standard.org) has more than quadrupled its
membership in the last six months. The consortium has been working to rapidly define a
global, open, embedded processor development interface standard for embedded control
applications. Nineteen new members have joined the original five founding members,
adding breadth and depth to the industry-wide specification development effort.
The founding members, ETAS Inc., Hewlett-Packard Company, Hitachi
Semiconductor (America) Inc., Infineon Technologies (formerly known as Siemens
Microelectronics), and Motorola Inc., represent embedded processor suppliers and
independent tools providers. The new members add valuable software and additional
hardware expertise, as well as endorsement and support for the implementation of the
specification. The new members are: Accurate Technologies Inc., Applied Dynamics
International, Applied Microsystems Corporation, Ashling Microsystems Ltd., CAD-UL,
Digital Logic Instruments, Embedded System Products Inc., Emulation Technology Inc.,
Green Hills Software, Inc., HIWARE, Integrated Systems Inc., Lauterbach Datentechnik
GmbH; Metrowerks Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Nohau Corporation,
Noral Micrologics, PLX Technology, Inc., Software Development Systems Inc., and
Yokogawa Digital Computer Corp.
The consortium membership now represents all aspects of the technologies required
for embedded control applications. The original members provided expertise in the areas
of semiconductor and hardware development tools. The new members will strengthen the
consortium in the areas of software tool expertise (emulators, compilers, simulators,
debuggers, RTOS's, etc.) as well as additional hardware expertise. The support and
involvement of these additional companies will assure that this specification receives
accurate and thorough content development and review, helping to expedite its
endorsement and implementation.
As the consortium announces its jump in membership, it also reaches an important
milestone -- the April 1999 release of Version 1.0 of the specification. This is significant
because it is expected to be the first version to be implemented in new microprocessors
and their development tools. The new interface will serve to standardize accessibility and
functionality across a broad range of microprocessors as they are developed.
Although the initial focus of the specification effort has been automotive powertrain
applications, the goal is to develop a general purpose specification, encompassing all
industries that will benefit from this standard interface, such as data communications and
computer peripherals, wireless systems and other embedded control applications.

About the Consortium

The consortium was organized to rapidly define a global, open, embedded processor
development interface standard for embedded control applications. This initiative was organized
by leading microprocessor and development tools companies.
For more information, visit the consortium web site at www.nexus-standard.org. To contact the
consortium members, send email to committee@nexus-standard.org.





Upcoming Events:

NorthCon/99 conference - October 5-7, 1999 at the Oregon Convention Center.