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		SPEC TO LICENSE SPARC ARCHITECTURE FROM SUN
		    WILL DEVELOP GaAs-BASED PROCESSOR

SunFLASH Vol 11 #12					 November 1989 
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MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., --November 27, 1989-- Sun Microsystems, Inc.,
and Systems & Processes Engineering Corporation (SPEC) today announced
the signing of an agreement in which SPEC will license Sun's SPARC(TM)
microprocessor architecture.  SPEC will develop a gallium arsenide
(GaAs) SPARC processor and compatible coprocessors for a SPEC-developed
board to be used by NASA in satellites and probes, data/telemetry
analysis ground stations and for image processing and analysis.

SPARC is a RISC (reduced instruction set computer) architecture
designed for performance, efficiency and simplicity.  Since SPARC is
scalable, it can be implemented using a range of semiconductor process
technologies, from CMOS in the midrange to GaAs on the high end.  GaAs
is a different material from silicon.  Its physical properties allow
electrons to move faster than in any other type of semiconductor
process.

Under the agreement with SPEC, Sun can license SPEC's GaAs-based SPARC
design with the option to have it manufactured by one of the six
semiconductor vendors now manufacturing SPARC microprocessors.  Initial
samples of the GaAs SPARC processor will be available late in 1990.

 SPEC To Develop Chip Set

SPEC has been contracted by NASA to develop a high-performance GaAs
RISC processor to demonstrate the inherent speed and radiation-hardness
advantages of GaAs.  Multiple GaAs SPARC processors will be included in
a demonstration board that SPEC is building to look at GaAs
capabilities.  The board will include four to eight GaAs SPARC
processors,  GaAs array communications coprocessors and GaAs floating
point coprocessors.

The array communications coprocessor is a GaAs implementation of a
proprietary SPEC inter-processor communications architecture.  The
coprocessor provides a tightly coupled message/data passing interface
between processors in a multi-processor computer system.  The floating
point coprocessor supports 32-bit and 64-bit operations in a highly
pipelined mode with a peak throughput of one floating point operation
per cycle.  These three components make a complete chip set that SPEC
will incorporate into board-level products for the commercial
marketplace.

"These are the building blocks necessary to build the high-performance
systems of the future.  Single- and multiple-processor GaAs
workstations will form the high end of performance in the 1990s.  Other
technologies will not be able to approach the performance of GaAs,"
said SPEC President Randolph E. Noster.

According to SPEC's chief scientist, Dr. Gary B. McMillian, the GaAs
SPARC processor and coprocessors are being designed to operate at 200
MHz, with performance at 800 to 1600 MIPS in a four- to eight-processor
implementation.  SPEC plans to use a VME/FutureBus implementation,
which will provide enough bus bandwidth to support the multiple,
high-speed processors.

Systems & Processes Engineering Corporation (SPEC) provides systems
engineering services and manufactured products to the aerospace
industry, international and U.S. commercial business, and to government
agencies.  Located in Austin, Tex., SPEC is a privately owned company.

Sun Microsystems, Inc., headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., is a
leading worldwide supplier of network-based distributed computing
systems, including professional workstations, servers and UNIX
operating system and productivity software.

###

SPARC is a trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc.  UNIX is a registered
trademark of AT&T.  All other products or services mentioned in this
document are identified by the trademarks or service marks of their
respective companies or organizations.

Press Contact:  
Marty Coleman (415) 336-6543 
Lauren Swingle (415) 336-7273

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Sunflash is an electronic mail news service from Sun Microsystems,
Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Please address comments to John McLaughlin
(sun!sunvice!johnj or johnmclaughlin@sun.COM). (305) 776-7770.