ARM Eagle becomes Cortex-A15, promises up to 2.5GHz
updated 10:25 am EDT, Thu September 9, 2010
ARM Cortex-A15 brings 2.5GHz multi-core to phones
ARM today gave a name and details to its future Eagle mobile architecture. The Cortex-A15 can scale up to 1.5GHz in a dual-core format and can even work in quad-core versions up to 2.5GHz, although this is more likely to reach larger or server-like devices. It's built for future 32 nanometer manufacturing and should shrink down to a smaller and more efficient 28nm over time.
The architecture itself builds on top of the already dual-core A9. It still supports more advanced out-of-order code execution, but builds on this with theoretical support for up to 1TB of memory, chip components to maintain coherence, software error recovery and hardware virtualization of another OS.
ARM is already licensing the A15 design today, but the dependence on 32nm or smaller designs may preclude actual shipping hardware arriving before 2013. Samsung, ST-Ericsson and Texas Instruments have all lined up as early customers and are likely to have products for smartphones, tablets and other devices in a similar timeframe. Apple is also likely to customize the A15 for future versions of the iPad, iPod, iPhone and Apple TV.
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iPod, iPhone, computers, industry, Samsung, Apple TV, Texas Instruments, ARM, mobile phones, Apple, ST-Ericsson, iPad
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Nov 2008
In a way this could be very damaging
for Intel and Windows in the computer industry. This ARM architecture is very low power stuff and there's no reason that desktop computers won't be heading in this direction. It won't necessarily drive Microsoft out of business, but I'm sure consumers would be happy to run fast and light applications for the simple things most of them do. Chips like these will easily extend beyond simple tablets and phones. You'd be able to have home computers the size of the new Apple TV. In most cases, consumers wouldn't need some big box sucking up power and floor space. If corporations were only able and willing to leave Windows and Microsoft Office behind they could just chuck all their power-hungry hardware. They'd save millions of dollars in energy costs.