The operation throughput requirements of current third generation (3G) wireless protocols are already an order of magnitude higher than the capabilities of modern DSP processors, a gap that is likely to grow in the future. Figure to the right shows the computation and power demands of a typical 3G wireless protocol. A comparison of the theoretical peak performance throughput and power consumption of SODA with other existing DSP, media, and general-purpose processor systems is also illustrated. While most DSP processors operate at around 10 Mops/mW, the typical wireless protocol requires 100 Mops/mW. This is the reason most wireless protocols to date have been implemented with custom hardware. While custom hardware can meet the operational requirements, a programmable solution offers many potential advantages:

Multi-mode operation is enabled by running different protocols depending on the available wireless network---GSM in Europe, CDMA in the USA and some parts of Asia, and 802.11 in the coffee shop. This can be accomplished with less hardware than would be required by many custom hardware implementations.

Time to market of a protocol implementation is lower because the hardware can be reused. The hardware integration and software development tasks can progress in parallel.

Prototyping and bug fixes are enabled for next generation protocols on existing silicon with a software change. Continuing evolution of the specification can still be supported by changing the software after the chipset has been manufactured. Algorithmic improvements can be deployed without redesign.

Chip volumes are higher because the same chip can support multiple protocols without requiring hardware changes.

We believe that the use of programmable systems for wireless protocols is inevitable due to the need to support many increasingly complex protocols. including multi-mode operations, faster time-to-market, rapid prototyping and bug fixes and cheaper hardware.