It's one of those days when I feel like there must be a conference going on somewhere that I don't know about. Both Fujitsu and Hitachi have announced chips targeted at the automotive navigation market, an application area that you don't hear about every day. Maybe it's just a fluke. Hitachi is touting its HD64404 as a companion chip that combines a graphics processing engine with standard connectivity. The HD64404 will be used in Car Information Systems (CIS) like in-car navigation, multimedia and entertainment systems (for those in the back seat, I hope). The HD64404 is a companion chip for the SuperH family SH-4 CPU core. The device is also compatible with Hitachi's Q-series graphics processors, allowing the reuse of software from previous systems, and offers a new development platform for CIS development. The chip has already been selected by in-vehicle equipment manufacturers Delphi Automotive Systems and Siemens VDO Automotive AG of Germany. The HD64404 incorporates a variety of standard interfaces, including an HCAN2 (Hitachi Controller Area Network) in-vehicle network interface, an I2C interface for connecting audio equipment, an audio CODEC interface and Hitachi S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface) for connecting an audio chip, and Hitachi SPI interface for connecting a DSP or similar device. In addition, a MOST interface is included as an extension bus function, providing support for fibre-optic in-vehicle networks. The device features a built-in graphics processing engine, an advanced version of Hitachi's Q-series Q2SD (Quick 2D Graphics Renderer with Synchronous DRAM) model. It offers high-speed operation of 100 MHz and compatibility with the Q2SD's instruction set, allowing Q2SD programs to be used. It also supports a Bit BLT (Bit Block Transfer) and Raster Operation, with support for an 854 x 480 WVGA screen resolution. The HD64404 is available in a small 352-pin TBGA package. Sample shipments will begin in February 2002.