Intel and TI license ARM's upcoming 'v6' core for future processor products

Intel and TI license ARM's upcoming 'v6' core for future processor products
By Semiconductor Business News
July 30, 2001 (9:06 a.m. EST)
URL: http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20010730S0008

CAMBRIDGE, England -- ARM Ltd. here today announced an extension of its RISC processor-licensing pact with Intel Corp. to include a next-generation ARMv6 architecture and other core designs. The Cambridge company today also announced a licensing agreement for ARMv6 cores with Texas Instruments Inc., which will use the low-power consuming RISC processor core in chip sets for 2.5 and 3G cellular phone handsets.

Full technical details of the new ARMv6 architecture will be presented at Microprocessor Forum 2001 during October in San Jose. Terms of the licensing pacts with Intel and TI were not disclosed by ARM.

According to Dallas-based TI, the ARMv6 architecture will enable higher levels of integration between its digital signal processing (DSP) technology and advanced microcontroller cores from ARM. The two companies have collaborated in development of the v6 core, which includes several new features for improved data synchronization, shared memory management, and an advanced operating system, said TI.

Both TI and Intel have licensed ARM processor core for embedded use in chip designs. Intel currently offers a wide variety of ARM core-based ICs, including the Intel StrongARM SA-1110 processor, which is used in the Intel Personal Internet Client Architecture for personal Internet devices. TI uses ARM cores in its Open Multimedia Applications Platform (OMAP), which was launched two years ago to address third-generation handsets and wireless networks (see May 27, 1999, story).

Intel's licensing v6 core agreement provides it with technology to expand its XScale architecture for processors used in networking, automotive, wireless devices, and cell-phone handsets. In addition to the architectural agreement, Intel has also licensed the ARM7TDMI and ARM946E-S microprocessor cores.

"The wide adoption of the ARM architecture allows Intel to offer advanced processing capab ilities to the networking and communications market segments," said Peter Green, general manager of Intel's Handheld Computing Group. "The new licensing agreement provides Intel with a strong foundation upon which we can continue to build innovative features for Intel XScale products."

TI said it has also licensed the ARM9E Jazelle extensions from the U.K.-based company. These extensions will enable TI to enhance performance of Java technology-based multimedia applications for 2.5 and 3G wireless appliances, TI said.