The SH7670 has a maximum operating frequency of 200MHz and yields 480DMIPS at that speed. It also has a single/double-precision Floating Point Unit (FPU), which is now wanted by many engineers who develop their algorithms on PCs using high-level-abstraction tools such as Matlab. Without an FPU these algorithms will slow down dramatically when the application is moved from the PC to embedded hardware (microcontrollers).
The trend toward connecting household devices to home networks continues to advance, making it possible for a variety of products to share content. An increasing number of digital audiovisual applications, such as digital TVs, DVD recorders, and digital audio products, allow consumers to enjoy content supplied via Ethernet and USB connections. In addition, increasingly the communication standard used to link equipment in industrial settings is Ethernet. At the same time, USB is being used increasingly for connections with host PCs.
The SH7670 also includes a general-purpose DMA controller, enabling high-speed data transfers between separate banks of external memory. This contributes to higher overall network data throughput.
The package is a compact 256-pin BGA (17mm × 17mm) that helps minimise product size.
A JTAG on-chip debugging function is included that enables real-time debugging at the maximum operating frequency. A compact PC card size emulator, the E10A-USB, is available.