SHARC Processor

The Analog Devices Super Harvard Architecture Single-Chip Computer (or “SHARC”) chip is a high performance DSP chip. Designed in 1994, the chips are capable of addressing an entire 32-bit word, and can implement 64-bit data processing. This makes it extremely well suited for audio processors, synthesizers, and A/D and D/A converters, because it has effectively unlimited headroom for audio. Since the 2000s, SHARC processors have become more and more common, often taking over for Motorola 56k DSP processors due to their more modern architecture.