New IEEE 1149.7™ Test and Debug Standard Expands and Improves JTAG Functionality

PISCATAWAY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--IEEE, the world's leading professional association for the advancement of technology, today announced the ratification of IEEE 1149.7™ test and debug standard. The new standard expands and improves upon IEEE 1149.1™ (JTAG) functionality and is designed to maximize space and cost-savings while maintaining previously made industry investments.

“IEEE 1149.7 offers a flexible, dynamic solution for designers and engineers contending with shifting design paradigms without eroding the firm foundation established by earlier standards, such as IEEE 1149.1”

Developed in an IEEE working group (WG) led by Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI), IEEE 1149.7 enables manufacturers to accomplish more while using fewer resources. The new standard opens the door to greater innovation by deploying an adaptable but robust framework, facilitating customization for testing and debugging of a wide array of technologies, including highly pin/package-constrained devices such as consumer electronics and mobile communications. By maintaining backwards-compatibility and leveraging proven tools and infrastructures, IEEE 1149.7 also upholds substantial industry investment in earlier IEEE 1149.x standards.

“IEEE 1149.7 offers a flexible, dynamic solution for designers and engineers contending with shifting design paradigms without eroding the firm foundation established by earlier standards, such as IEEE 1149.1,” said Stephen Lau, emulation technology product manager, Texas Instruments. “The combination of an extraordinary level of customizability with already-proven technologies maximizes IEEE 1149.7’s effectiveness, ensuring its role as an essential, cost-effective test and debug tool.”

The new IEEE 1149.7 standard offers a host of new features and upgrades aimed at addressing unique challenges, such as complex digital circuitry, form factor size constraints, and multiple CPUs, posed by today’s smaller, next-generation consumer electronics. The six classes (T0 – T5) contained within the standard include IEEE 1149.1 extensions, assuring compliance for chips with multiple TAPs. Other new features and enhanced functionality include:

Significantly decreased scan chain lengths
Well-defined power control functions, including four selectable power modes
Support for two-pin operation, instruction, and custom pin usage
New test tools such as chip bypass and star topology testing
Increased port efficiency
Background data transfers concurrent with advanced scan transactions

IEEE 1149.7 was ratified by IEEE’s Standards Board on December 9, 2009 and will be published on February 10, 2010. For additional information on IEEE 1149.7 or the IEEE 1149.7 WG, please visit http://grouper.ieee.org/groups/1149/7/.

About the IEEE Standards Association

The IEEE Standards Association, a globally recognized standards-setting body, develops consensus standards through an open process that engages industry and brings together a broad stakeholder community. IEEE standards set specifications and best practices based on current scientific and technological knowledge. The IEEE-SA has a portfolio of over 900 active standards and more than 400 standards under development. For information on the IEEE-SA, see: http://standards.ieee.org.

About IEEE

IEEE is the world's largest technical professional association. Through its more than 375,000 members in 160 countries, IEEE is a leading authority on a wide variety of areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics. Dedicated to the advancement of technology, IEEE publishes 30 percent of the world’s literature in the electrical and electronics engineering and computer science fields, and has developed nearly 900 active industry standards. The organization annually sponsors more than 850 conferences worldwide. Additional information about IEEE can be found at http://www.ieee.org