Cadence announced that its Tensilica IP Group worked with Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI) to develop the next generation of SHARC automotive audio processors, including the new new SHARC-FX core that is claimed to be five times more powerful than predecessor.
Analog Devices’ SHARC-FX Core
ADI is introducing the new ADSP-SC84x/2184x chipset, building on its existing ADSP-SC59x/2159x family, with a transition from 28nm to 16nm process technology. This brings improved energy efficiency, higher operating frequencies, and greater integration aimed at software-defined vehicles (SDVs), alongside an LPDDR4 memory interface, expanded on-chip L2 memory, a dedicated hardware security module, and two optional connectivity cores supporting mainline Linux.
At the center of the new chipset is the SHARC-FX processor core, developed jointly with Cadence and built on the same technology used across Cadence’s Tensilica DSPs for audio, vision, and radar applications. The core supports a broader range of data types, an enhanced VLIW SIMD architecture, more efficient cache operations, and an expanded instruction set for signal processing and AI workloads. Combined with higher operating frequency, ADI says these changes deliver 5x the performance of the previous-generation SHARC+ core used in the ADSP-SC59x family, enabling applications such as seat-specific in-cabin audio, AI-enhanced noise cancellation, and generative AI audio.
The SHARC-FX architecture is optimized for on-chip AI and signal-processing workloads, allowing tasks such as music genre identification and real-time vocal removal to run on the DSP while the host CPU handles vehicle-domain and operating system functions. The core also supports optimized neural network kernel routines for frameworks such as Google’s LiteRT, allowing AI models to run on the DSP rather than the host CPU for improved performance and energy efficiency.
ADI’s platform is supported by a toolset including Cadence’s compiler and development tools, alongside ADI’s EZ-KIT evaluation system, CrossCore Embedded Studio, SigmaStudio+, and DSP Concepts’ Audio Weaver framework. Cadence’s Tensilica IP Group also offers automotive-ready DSP IP certified to ISO 26262 ASIL-B for ADAS and other safety-critical applications.
Pokdepinion: Hopefully none of that 5x performance jump is contributing towards more software paywalls.
