Nufront ships dual-core ARM chip for notebooks and tablets
updated 02:25 pm EDT, Tue September 14, 2010
Nufront shows dual-core 2GHz ARM-based SoC
China's Nufront together with chipmaker ARM announced on Tuesday that they launched the former's first computer chip, the NuSmart 2816. Based on 40nm architecture, the system-on-chip includes a dual-core Cortex A9 and runs at 2GHz. Unlike most ARM chips, the NuSmart is intended for full-fledged computing and should reach netbooks, tablets, ultra-thin notebooks and all-in-one desktops.
The ARM processor also integrates a multi-core 2D/3D graphics processor along with a 64-bit DDR2/3-1066 memory controller and a 1080p multi-format video decodingengine, becoming the first to do so. Otherwise, there is a SATA2 controller, USB 2.0, Ethernet and standard I/O controllers onboard. When running at 1.6GHz, the 2816 consumes less than 2W.
The chip is likely to show up in devices running on Ubuntu, Android and Microsoft's Windows CE or Windows Embedded Compact software, as Nufront is working with this software. Early devices using this chip should arrive at the CES 2011 show in Las Vegas.
