DSPcore

A DSP core, or digital signal processing core, is a specialized processor designed for real-time numerical computations typical of signal processing tasks. It emphasizes high sustained throughput and predictable latency, often at low power, to handle streaming data such as audio, video, and communications signals.

A typical DSP core includes a multiply-accumulate MAC unit, a pipelined datapath, and support for fixed-point and floating-point arithmetic. Many designs feature specialized instructions for filtering, convolution, fast Fourier transforms, windowing, and vector operations, along with features like zero-overhead looping and circular addressing units to optimize continuous data streams. Some cores also implement SIMD-style execution to process multiple samples in parallel.

Memory architectures for DSP cores often use a Harvard or modified Harvard arrangement, with fast on-chip RAM and tightly integrated DMA to feed data to the computation units with minimal software overhead. Deterministic timing, low-latency interrupts, and tight loop optimizations are common design goals, enabling real-time performance for streaming workloads.

Software ecosystems typically include cross-compilers, assemblers, libraries for DSP tasks (FIR/IIR filtering, FFTs, codecs), and real-time operating system support. Development tools emphasize performance tuning, memory layout, and power management to meet application requirements.

Applications of DSP cores span audio processing, telecommunications, radar and sonar, image and video processing, and biomedical instrumentation. Compared with general-purpose CPUs, DSP cores prioritize deterministic timing, energy efficiency, and sustained throughput for streaming data.

Representative examples of DSP cores include TI’s TMS320/C6000 family, Analog Devices SHARC cores, and ARM Cortex-M4/M7 devices with DSP extensions, as well as specialized CEVA and other vendor cores.