| Cortex-A8 SoC targets netbooks |
Jan. 05, 2009
[Updated 2PM] -- Freescale is sampling a system-on-chip (SoC) expected to compete with Intel's Atom processor in the netbook market. Initially offered with a Linux-based reference design, the i.MX515 uses ARM's superscalar Cortex-A8 core clocked from 600MHz to 1GHz, and targets sub-$200 netbooks with 8.9-inch displays and eight-hour battery life.
Freescale's i.MX515 is the first ARM- or ARM-Cortex-A8-based processor to directly target the sizzling market for netbooks. While ceding some software compatibility, netbooks based on i.MX515 should offer longer battery life, says Freescale. Performance may also lag a bit behind Atom-based systems, as Freescale is claiming 2100 Dhrystone MIPS (DMIPS) for a 1GHz netbook. Intel's top netbook chip, the N270, usually turns in about 4000 DMIPS, when clocked at 1.6GHz.
Built around the Cortex-A8 core, the i.MX515 offers a dedicated, hardware-based video acceleration block that "enables extended battery life and eliminates the need for fans or heat sinks," says the company. The SoC offers graphics cores for both OpenGL and OpenVG, with the latter enabling Flash and SVG.
Freescale touts the i.MX515 for its flexible memory interface, which supports DDR2 as well as the mobile DDR1 memory type. According to Freescale, DDR2 is better suited for netbooks, claiming that it supports "low power at significantly less cost." In an apparent dig at TI's OMAP3x, Freescale notes that "competing Cortex-A8 platform options available today are limited to mobile DDR1."
Reference design has Linux focus -- but Windows CE could follow
Unlike TI, which touted Windows CE support for its OMAP3x from day one, and now offers a 3G development kit that supports Windows CE, Freescale appears to be focusing initially on Linux. According to the company, the i.MX515 reference design was developed jointly with Pegatron.
The i.MX515 reference design includes a board equipped with the i.MX515, plus a SGTL5000 low-power audio codec and Freescale's new power management IC, called the MC13982, says the company. Offered with Canonical's Ubuntu Linux distribution, the bundle includes Adobe Flash Lite and Flash Player.
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ARM processors, of course, are already the rule in PMPs (personal music players) and PNDs (personal navigation devices), which routinely run Windows Mobile, Windows CE, or Linux. They have also featured already in Windows CE netbook designs, such as the Cuol Book from U.K. retailer Robert Dyas, and the Join Tech J-Pro JL7100 (right).
A move to the Cortex-A8 core for ARM netbooks -- forecast by an ARM executive in October of last year -- could move these low-cost devices out of the "penalty box" realm, giving them better performance while retaining superior battery life. ARM says the Cortex-A8's superscalar architecture is capable of dispatching two to three times more instructions per cycle than ARM11, while power consumption is no greater.
Freescale's eight-hour battery life claims for the i.MX515 appear to be based in part on power savings due to the new MC13982 IC, which is separate from the SoC itself. The MC13982 extends battery life through function integration, as well as power management and control features, says Freescale. The MC13982 is said to incorporate a battery charging system, plus four adjustable buck converters for the processor core and memory. The IC also provides two boost converters for LCD backlighting and RGB LED displays, as well as serial backlighting drivers for display and keypad.
ARM has always had a power advantage over x86, especially in idle power use. Devices based on Intel's most power-efficient Z5xx-series Atom processors typically last less than six hours, according to some tests. If Freescale can back up its eight hour claims, the i.MX515 would offer a significant advantage.
Stated Lisa Su, SVP and GM of Freescale's Networking and Multimedia Group, "Our solution for netbooks will enable OEMs to develop compelling products that feature cell phone-like battery life at extremely aggressive price points."
Stated Philip Solis, principal analyst at ABI Research, "The netbook market is still in its infancy, and it represents a huge market opportunity for companies like Freescale."
Availability
Freescale’s netbook reference design, built by Pegatron, is available now, and the i.MX515 SoC and MC13982 power management ICs are sampling now to tier one netbook customers, says Freescale. (Pricing was not provided.) Volume production for the i.MX515 is expected in the second quarter, with expectations that associated netbooks will be ready for the 2009 holiday season.
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