The Open Microprocessor Initiative

The European Commission's Open Microprocessor Initiative subtly changed direction during the last three years. The change of emphasis corresponds with shifts in the marketplace. In 1995, OMI encouraged European developers to adopt RISC architectures like ARM and SPARC instead of CISC architectures like x86. OMI also promoted building software bridges between RISC and CISC platforms. However, the RISC-versus-CISC debate has since fizzled out.

OMI now focuses on reusability and producti vity improvements of embedded processors to reduce time to market and improve reliability. Its efforts are particularly targeted at the telecommunications, automotive, multimedia, and industrial process-control markets.

The initiative works by promoting cooperative projects between industrial and university research groups, and encouraging the exchange of intellectual property between semiconductor companies (for example, sharing macro-cell libraries). On the commercial level, OMI runs an embedded systems industry association called OMI Management Office, which offers technical and marketing services to member companies.

The OMI Databook, which details the projects undertaken by its participants, now features 140 items, including six chip designs, four operating systems, over 40 software tools, and 29 major applications or products delivered as a result of collaborative development. Some of the most prestigious accomplishments are Chorus Systems' microkernel opera ting system, ARM's ARM6 and ARM7 processor cores, and SGS-Thomson's ST20 microprocessor.