The Motorola DSP56000 is a family of digital signal processor (DSP) chips produced by Motorola Semiconductor starting in 1986 with later models are still being produced in the 2020s. The 56k series was intended mainly for embedded systems doing signal processing, but was also quite popular for a time in a number of computers, including the NeXT, Atari Falcon030 and SGI Indigo workstations all using the 56001. Upgraded 56k versions are still used today in audio equipment, radar systems, communications devices and various other embedded DSP applications. The 56000 was also used as the basis for the updated 96000, which was not commercially successful.
Motorola XSP56001
Die of Motorola DSP56001.
Die of Motorola DSP56002.
Motherboard of the NeXTcube from 1990 having a Motorola 68040 (25 MHz) and a digital signal processor Motorola 56001 with 25 MHz which was directly accessible via an interface.
A digital signal processor (DSP) is a specialized microprocessor chip, with its architecture optimized for the operational needs of digital signal processing. DSPs are fabricated on metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) integrated circuit chips. They are widely used in audio signal processing, telecommunications, digital image processing, radar, sonar and speech recognition systems, and in common consumer electronic devices such as mobile phones, disk drives and high-definition television (HDTV) products.
An L7A1045 DSP chip, as used in several Akai samplers and the Hyper Neo Geo 64 arcade board
The NeXTcube from 1990 had a Motorola 68040 (25 MHz) and a digital signal processor Motorola 56001 with 25 MHz which was directly accessible via an interface.
TRW TDC1010 multiplier-accumulator
