Milestone-Proposal talk:MPD7720 DSP

Evaluation from Consulted Experts on Docket # 2018-14 (“World’s first commercial digital signal processor chip, μPD7720, with a 16x16-bit multiplier, 1980" -- Naohisa (talk) 02:29, 8 August 2019 (UTC)

Evaluation of Docket # 2018-14 (“World’s first commercial digital signal processor chip, μPD7720, with a 16x16-bit multiplier, 1980”) for IEEE Milestone

Consulted expert: Naohisa Ohta

Around 1980, I was engaged in research and development of speech coding systems for digital communications. In order to optimize the coding scheme, the algorithm was always modified in the research process for evaluation. A high-speed and flexible digital processing device was the key to success for such real-time applications. I witnessed how the digital signal processor μPD7720 had an impact in the actual situations as described in the proposal and in the advocate recommendation as well.

The μPD7720 was the first commercially available digital signal processor chip that had capability of high-speed digital signal processing with flexibility (programmability). The chip had a unique processing architecture such as a 16x16-bit parallel multiplier and a novel data bus connections that made it possible to efficiently perform multiply-and-add operations that are essential in signal processing.

Most impressively, μPD7720 became commercially available from a very early stage (1980) and it was the only digital signal processing chip commercially available for 4 years. During that period, μPD7720 (and its family chips) stimulated a variety of signal processing applications not only in research but also in product development, leading to improved cost-performance. It made an impact to a wide variety of signal processing equipment in communication and broadcasting, especially in voice-band data modems and ADPCM speech codecs, leading to the digital signal processing era.

As a consulted expert in the research of signal processing and telecommunication applications, I strongly support this IEEE Milestone proposal.

Naohisa Ohta--Naohisa (talk) 02:29, 8 August 2019 (UTC) IEEE Fellow, Life Member Media Design Laboratory Keio University Graduate School of Media Design, Japan

Re: Evaluation of Docket # 2018-14 (“World’s first commercial digital signal processor chip, μPD7720, with a 16x16-bit multiplier, 1980”) for IEEE Milestone -- Takao Onoye (talk) 01:22, 27 August 2019 (UTC)

In 1980, NEC presented the world first commercial single chip DSP, uPD7720, at ISSCC1980, which are 3 years ahead of the introduction of Texas Instruments' TMS320. Around that time, the state-of-arts processors are i8086, Z8000, and MC68000, and none of PCs were available.

Tthe uPD7720 fixed-point DSP, which integrates a high-speed multiplier on a chip, expanded the market of DSPs. It is notable that the DSP was developed by a consumer electronics company and hence was used not only in a telephony but also in various applications including data processing (e.g. modems and disk drive controller) and media processing (e.g. speech processing and graphics controllers).

In this sense, the uPD7720 laid the first foundation of current wide spread of DSPs and I am sure that it can be regarded as the good candidate of an IEEE milestone.

Takao Onoye, Dr.Eng. Executive Vice President for Research, Osaka University 2019-2020 Chair, IEEE Japan Council 2019 Vice Chair - Professional Activities, IEEE Region 10