Lockheed Martin selects MoSys MDRAM to bring real-time 3D graphics performance to PC users.
ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 29, 1995--The Commercial Visual Systems business unit of Lockheed Martin Information Systems Company announced today it has selected the Multibank architecture, based on small, independent banks of dynamic random-access memories (DRAMs) integrated on a single chip by MoSys Incorporated of San Jose, California, for its REAL 3D personal computer graphics chipset, the R3D/100.
The REAL 3D series of graphics engines are based on real-time, image generation, visual system technology first developed for astronaut training and high-performance combat simulators. The initial R3D/100 will be the first 3D graphics accelerator to bring true real-time performance to personal computer users.
Key performance attributes of the new chip set include an embedded 100 MFLOPS geometry processor, pixel write rates of up to 33 million pixels per second, up to 750,000 polygons per second, line processing up to 1.5 million per second, and up to 192 color texture maps (128 x 128 mipmapped) in real-time. This performance eliminates the jerky visual movement found in graphics products that operate at less-than-real-time rates.
Slated for sampling in the fourth quarter of this year, the chip set has optimized software drivers for WindowsNT and Windows 95. Announced to the industry last summer, MoSys' innovative Multibank architecture dramatically improves performance, ease of use and cost of DRAMs.
"We needed MoSys' MDRAM (Multibank DRAM) technology because it was the only memory architecture available that would enable us to hit our high-performance goals, yet stay within our cost constraints," stated Tom Piazza, Technical Director, Image Generator Products, at the Lockheed Martin unit. "REAL 3D is targeted at high volumes," he added, "and we are confident in MoSys' ability to deliver."
MoSys was formed in September, 1991 to develop semiconductor memory technology and supply ultra-high-performance DRAMs. A fab-less DRAM company and a technology licenser, MoSys will build and sell products based on the new architecture, as well as license the technology and products to leading DRAM suppliers around the globe. MDRAM products will be available to the general marketplace by mid-1995. They will be fabricated under contract at DRAM foundries and DRAM licensees.
"The R3D/100 chipset is a stunning convergence of previously-unattainable systems technology and the world's fastest memory technology," stated MoSys vice-president of marketing Gary Banta. "This high visibility design win is a major step in building momentum for MoSys and our Multibank DRAM architecture, which we expect will soon emerge as the new standard in PC and workstation graphics and other cost-sensitive, yet performance-critical, volume applications," he added.
The peak bandwidth (greater than 660 MBytes/second) available from the new Multibank architecture, Banta noted, exceeds the nearest competitor by approximately one-third. "More importantly, net bandwidth (bandwidth after accounting for overhead) exceeds competitive memory by 250 percent." "Unlike competing approaches," he added, "Multibank DRAMs are cost competitive with standard DRAMs and use a simple, easily implemented interface."
In the R3D/100's Optimized Renderer Memory Architecture, which supports 33 million depth-buffered, textured, shaded, pixel writes per second, the MoSys MDRAMs are utilized in both depth buffer (up to 5 MBytes) and frame buffer (up to 10 MBytes) memory controller applications. Data transmission to the system's graphics processor will be up to 1 GByte per second (peak) and is said to be easily scaleable for progressively more powerful graphics accelerators on the drawing board at the Lockheed Martin business unit.
Lockheed Martin's R3D/100 chip set provides faster processing through its patented hardware design which incorporates geometry processingGeometry processing is a fast-growing area of research that uses concepts from applied mathematics, computer science, and engineering to design efficient algorithms for the acquisition, reconstruction, analysis, manipulation, simulation and transmission of complex 3D models.
..... Click the link for more information., rasterization and texture mapping. The R3D/100 embedded floating point geometry
processor removes significant processing burden from the host CPU. The patented texture processor applies color mipmapped texture to polygons in true 3D corrected perspective.
Designed as a true polygon processor with texture processing and scaleable texture memory from the outset, the R3D/100 chip set includes dedicated hardware acceleration of mipmapped texturing that provides continuous high fidelity image quality. This chip set simulates spotlights, fog and realistic curved surfaces. Additionally, improved image quality is provided with multi-pass anti-aliasing.
The R3D/100 chip set directly interfaces with Microsoft 3D/DDI and supports all 3D/DDI-compliant APIs, such as OpenGL and comes with device driver software and a device driver kit.
