The 16-bit chip is made with a 0.18 micron semiconductor and has a 32-bit kernel, enabling it to conduct more than 200 million instructions per second.

DSP, widely used in mobile phones, digital cameras, high-speed telecom equipment and information products, and central processingunits (CPU) are two core technologies for chip production. There are now only a few countries in the world able to boast DSP technology.

The Shanghai municipal science and technology commission has authenticated the product, saying it represents world-level research and is a pioneering design and application development platform in China.

The chip was the fruit of a two-year effort by science and technology personnel, under the lead of professor Chen Jin of Shanghai Jiaotong University, and has applied for six patents.

Since 2000, China has imported nearly 10 billion yuan (1.22 billion US dollars) worth of DSP chips per year, a figure that is still rising.

The new development is expected to help the country reduce its imports.

(Xinhua News Agency March 6, 2003)