Herndon, Virginia – Objective Interface Systems, Inc. (OIS) has announced a new version of its ORBexpress communications middleware product. ORBexpress FPGA, designed specifically for FPGAs, is a VHDL implementation of the Object Request Broker (ORB) middleware. ORBexpress FPGA supports the Virtex FPGAs from Xilinx. This high-performance, small-footprint Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) ORB enables easy integration of FPGAs into a variety of signal processing applications, including software defined radios (SDRs).

ORBexpress FPGA is said to provide performance increases of up to 100x over equivalent software running on a general purpose processor (GPP). Although ORBexpress FPGA does not require a GPP, it does support integration with a GPP core implemented in an FPGA.

ORBexpress FPGA is designed to support partial reconfiguration, a process that allows a portion of the FPGA to be reconfigured while the remainder of the device continues to operate. This enables a single FPGA to switch between multiple modes of operation on the fly, providing significant power, space and cost savings.

ORBexpress FPGA provides location transparency and processing mobility. These features make it easier to move functionality among processor technologies such as digital signal processors (DSPs), GPPs and FPGAs. This enables faster design cycles for systems that employ multiple processor technologies. For example, Lyrtech has integrated ORBexpress FPGA into its SDR development platform, which features FPGA, DSP, and GPP processors.

The Early Access Version of ORBexpress FPGA is available now from Objective Interface Systems. For more information on ORBexpress FPGA and the Objective Interface portfolio of communications middleware, please visit: www.ois.com/products, call 1 800-800-OIS7 or 1 703-295-6500 in the U.S., +33 (0) 6 68 35 15 45 in Europe or +81 (0)3-5623-2112 in Japan or e-mail inquiries to: info@ois.com.

Objective Interface Systems

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