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SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 24 -- EEMBC, the embedded microprocessor benchmark consortium, today announced new benchmark scores for two communications processors from Integrated Device Technology (Nasdaq: IDTI), as well as the addition of Cadence Design Systems (NYSE: CDN - ) as the consortium's newest member.

Announced today were new benchmark scores for IDT's 250-MHz 79RC64575 processor with the Algorithmics SDE4.0B compiler and revised and improved benchmark scores for the company's 150-MHz 79RC32364, which was re-tested with the processor's cache in write-back mode (the original scores on EEMBC's website represented the processor with its cache in write-through mode). With the cache in the write-back mode, the scores increased by up to two times, depending on the benchmark.

``As to be expected, the write-back cache mode had the biggest impact on the more data-intensive benchmarks, while the computation-intensive benchmarks had minimal difference between cache modes,'' said Markus Levy, EEMBC president.

Back in April, IDT derived its 79RC64575 scores using its GNU compiler. By switching to the Algorithmics compiler, the company was able to increase its processor's performance by more than 25% for many of the benchmarks.

``IDT's new 79RC64575 scores reflect the importance of a good compiler,'' said Levy, ``and provide further testimonial to EEMBC's value as both a processor and a compiler benchmark.''

EEMBC benchmark scores, which are posted at www.eembc.org, specify over 40 different benchmarks, each representing a different workload and stressing a different processor capability. The scores are used by designers of telecommunications, networking, automotive, industrial, consumer, and office automation products to better evaluate and select the right processor and compiler for their applications.

``One of IDT's key goals is to improve time to market for customers developing embedded communications systems,'' said Ian Ferguson, technical marketing manager at IDT. ``We achieve this by providing designers with complete solutions including integrated processors, accompanying software, and reference designs. Additionally, we are supportive of EEMBC and its initiative to publicly disclose performance scores based on meaningful benchmarks that help customers more quickly analyze and choose a processor that best meets their application requirements.''

EEMBC also announced today that Cadence Design Systems is its newest member.

``Cadence's adoption of EEMBC represents a new usage model for the consortium's benchmarks. Rather than use the benchmarks as a performance metric, Cadence recognizes the value of EEMBC's industry-standard, portable code as a validation tool for its processor models in specific application segments,'' Levy noted. ``This will in turn validate EEMBC's newly adopted policy for simulator-based benchmarking.''

``Our latest tools for system-level design, the Cadence Virtual Component Co-Design Environment for Function Architecture Co-Design, provides users with a new class of processor models for software estimation,'' said Frank Schirrmeister, Director of Product Management Co-Design Technology at Cadence. ``Using the industry-standard EEMBC benchmark, IP providers and Cadence will be able to provide a characterization of the accuracy for those processor models in specific application segments. This will serve as a sign-off criterion for processor models and enable more efficient interaction between processor providers and their system customers.''

About EEMBC

Providing the embedded industry fair and certified benchmarks and real-world applications, EEMBC is composed of more than 40 of the world's leading and most influential semiconductor and intellectual property companies. EEMBC members are committed to helping customers get product easier and faster through fair benchmarking and establishment of industry standards. Benchmarking fairness is provided through the EEMBC Certification Labs with offices in Texas and California. Certified benchmarking results are posted on the EEMBC website at www.eembc.org/Benchmark.

EEMBC members include Altera, AMD, ARC, ARM, Analog Devices Inc., ATI Technologies, BOPS, Cadence, Conexant Systems, DSP Group, Equator Technologies, Fujitsu Microelectronics, Green Hills Software, Hitachi America Ltd., Improv Systems, IBM Corporation, Imsys, Infineon Technologies, Integrated Device Technology, Intel, Lucent, Metaware, Metrowerks, Microchip Technology, MIPS Technologies Inc., Mitsubishi, Motorola, National Semiconductor, NEC, Panasonic, Philips, QED, SandCraft, STMicroelectronics, Siroyan Ltd., Sun Microsystems, 3DSP, Tensilica, Texas Instruments, Toshiba, Transmeta, Trimedia, and Wind River (DIAB).