Unlike previous ASIC technologies that address only a single application, market-wide applications can now be addressed with a single reconfigurable device. For this reason, we have coined the term Market Specific Integrated Circuit (MSIC).

A system designer using MSIC technology can easily configure the flow of data, and processing algorithms, within the chip. In addition to this flexibility, because of the IPM-16's internal precision and processing power, the IPM-16 will often out-perform an ASIC for a given application.

Inside an MSIC is a series of function cells that can be configured to implement a variety of algorithms. A given task will typically not consume all the available function cells, allowing the remaining cells to perform other functions. For example, the IPM-16 can be configured to perform color space conversion, and use the remaining cells to perform other operations like filtering or interpolation. The benefit is that a single IPM-16 can perform operations that would normally require multiple traditional ASICs, yet typically at a cost less than any of the ASICs it replaces. Multiple IPM-16's can be cascaded for increased processing capability.