Freescale has lost no time in announcing that it has licensed the just-announced ARM Cortex-A7 MPCore processor for its i.MX series of application processors. According to the Freescale press release:
“Freescale plans to incorporate ARM Cortex-A7 and Cortex-A15 processors in single-core and multicore i.MX devices that feature software and pin compatibility and target embedded, automotive infotainment and smart mobile device applications. For less performance-demanding tasks, the Cortex-A15 processor can power down, while the Cortex-A7 processor handles lighter-duty processing. By employing this approach, which ARM calls “Big.LITTLE processing,” a system-on-chip (SoC) leverages two different, but compatible, processing engines within the same device, allowing the power management software to seamlessly select the right processor for the task. This approach helps reduce overall system power consumption and extends battery life for mobile devices.”
Note: See the EDA360 Insider blog post about the ARM Cortex-A7 MPCore announcement “ARM drops Cortex-A7 core on unsuspecting market, devastates low-power SoC and application-processor landscapes. What’s it all mean?”
EDA360 Insider 