The META is a 32-bit multithreaded microprocessor developed by Metagence Technologies Division from Imagination Technologies.[1] First version of META were developed in 2001 as META-1 multithreaded DSP core aimed for audio, radio and video processing.[2] META HTP core family was announced in 2007 and is based on META-2 architecture.[3][4] META is designed to support between one and four independent hardware threads, which typically operate concurrently on separate tasks. Despite the shared processing resources, each execution unit maintains a local register state, an execution pipeline, and a program counter (PC) for each thread to accommodate multiple thread contexts.[5]

META family consists of Meta HTP applications processors (400–700 MHz on 65L – 65G process[3]), META MTP Embedded Processors and Meta LTP Embedded Microcontrollers.[6]

It is supported by the Linux kernel as of version 3.9.[7][8][9]

In 2018 March, LWN.net reported that Imagination Technologies redirected its focus away from Meta after its purchase of MIPS Technologies in 2012. This has led to a proposal on Linux development mailing lists to remove support for the architecture from the kernel which became effective with the release of Linux 4.17 in June 2018.[10][11]

References

  1. ^ Henry Davis (2006-03-20). "Inside the Imagination Technologies Meta processor". EETimes.
  2. ^ "Imagination Technologies Announces New Revolutionary DSP Cores and Metagence Technologies Division". Imagination Technologies. 2001-05-08.
  3. ^ a b "Imagination Technologies META HTP Multi-Threaded Processor IP Core". Design and Reuse. 2007-10-31.
  4. ^ Peter Clarke (2007-11-07). "Meta HTP extends support for different operating systems". EE Times Europe.
  5. ^ "META (TM) Multi-threaded Architecture Overview". Retrieved 2023-12-14.
  6. ^ Product Description on Imagination Technologies website
  7. ^ Pull new ImgTec Meta architecture from James Hogan
  8. ^ "Linux 3.9 has been released". Kernel Newbies. 1.5. New architecture: Meta Imagination processors
  9. ^ Richard Chirgwin (2013-05-01). "Linux kernel 3.9 lands. Power management, new processors, SSD caching and more". The Register. The new kernel is now ported to .. Imagination Meta ATP and HTP processor cores – an embedded Linux play .. the Imagination devices turn in in digital radios.
  10. ^ Jonathan Corbet (2018-02-26). "Shedding old architectures and compilers in the kernel". LWN.net. Retrieved 2018-03-11.
  11. ^ Linus Torvalds (2018-06-03). "Linux 4.17 Release Notes". lkml.org. Retrieved 2018-06-18.

External links


Reduced instruction set computer (RISC) architectures
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