ARM stretches out with A5 core, graphics, FPGAs

Details emerge on Atmel 2010 chip using Cortex A5 core

Rick Merritt (10/21/2009 5:00 AM EDT)
EETimes

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Just a mile down the road from the headquarters of archrival Intel Corp., ARM Ltd. opens its annual Silicon Valley technical conference today announcing a new core to anchor its high-end line of mobile and embedded processors.

The move represents one of several directions in which ARM is flexing its muscle to address new and old competitors and opportunities. Separately, ARM will use the event to bolster its nascent position in graphics, extend its progress in microcontrollers and take a step in a new direction with FPGAs.

But the main star of the ARM 2009 show is the A5, aka Sparrow, a new entry-level member of the Cortex family. It is positioned as the logical upgrade for today's ARM926EJ-S and ARM11 cores, bringing that diverse set of products under one software-compatible umbrella.

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