06 January 2009

Freescale Targets Netbook Market With ARM Based Solution

Freescale Semiconductor has thrown its ring into the netbook arena with a solution based on ARM  Cortex-A8 technology that will open the market for low power, performance netbooks at sub-$200 price tickets.

Based on the i.MX515 processor featuring ARM Cortex-A8 technology, Freescale’s solution includes software, components and resources to enable OEMs quickly develop and market netbooks that feature 8.9 inch displays and deliver eight hours of battery life between charges.

According to market research company ABI Research, consumers are expected to purchase 140 million netbooks in 2013, compared with only 15 million sold last year. Netbooks, which have a price point of between $300-$400, are streamlined, embedded devices performance for Internet-based activities such as social networking, surfing the Web and sending email.

“As was evident in the 2008 holiday season, the netbook market has exploded due to consumer demand for affordable and compact devices that allow users to conduct routine tasks like social networking or shopping on the Web,” said Philip Solis, principal analyst at ABI Research. “The netbook market is still in its infancy, and it represents a huge market opportunity for companies like Freescale. As advanced platforms for netbooks become increasingly available, price points will drop and the market will expand.”

Created in concert with Pegatron, the reference design features the i.MX515 processor, Canonical’s Ubuntu operating system, a power management IC from Freescale, the SGTL5000 ultra low-power audio codec and Adobe Flash Lite software, Adobe’s Flash Player for mobile phones and devices.

Integrating an ARM Cortex-A8 core and manufactured using 65-nm process technology, Freescale’s i.MX515 provides up to 2100 Dhrystone MIPS and can scale in performance from 600MHz to 1GHz. Advanced power management features included in the i.MX515 processor, such as a dedicated, hardware-based video acceleration block, allow for extended battery life and eliminate the need for fans or heat sinks.   

“Consumer demand for all-day, always-on Internet experiences requires the power-efficiency and performance of the 1GHz Cortex-A8 processor,” said Mike Inglis, executive vice president and general manager for the Processor Division of ARM Limited. “With leading edge ARM technology onboard, Freescale’s i.MX515 system-on-chip is an outstanding device that will play a key role in the evolution of the dynamic and fast-growing netbook space.”

The i.MX515 supports cost efficiency by featuring a memory interface supporting both DDR2 and mobile DDR1. While mobile DDR1 is ideal for the most power sensitive mobile Internet devices, DDR2 is better suited for netbooks as it provides low power at significantly less cost. Although the i.MX515 offers support for both, many competing Cortex-A8 platform options available today only offer mobile DDR1, limiting designers’ options to maximize cost savings, Freescale explained.

The i.MX515 is one of the only processors to offer both OpenVG and OpenGL graphics cores, thereby enabling 2D and 3D graphics as well as Flash and SVG for enhanced user experiences. Working with Adobe, Freescale plans to enable the Adobe software to run on the processor’s dedicated OpenVG graphics block, thereby extending battery life and enabling netbook web browsing experiences as rich and responsive as those on traditional PCs.

“We see a huge opportunity in the netbook market as consumers demand more cost-effective and higher performing solutions,” explained Lisa Su, senior vice president and general manager of Freescale’s Networking and Multimedia Group. “Our solution for netbooks will enable OEMs to develop compelling products that feature cell phone-like battery life at extremely aggressive price points. We believe the combination of the i.MX515 processor and related enablement solutions will dramatically accelerate the evolution of this exciting new space.”

A key component of Freescale’s netbook solution is the MC13982 power management IC. Integrating a variety of discrete functions into a single device, the MC13982 contributes to reduced size and weight of end products while extending their battery life through innovative power management and control features. The device incorporates a battery charging system, four adjustable buck converters for powering the processor core and memory, two boost converters for LCD backlighting, and RGB LED displays along with serial backlighting drivers for display and keypad.

Freescale’s netbook reference design is available now. Freescale confirmed that it is currently sampling the i.MX515 processor and MC13982 power management device to tier one netbook customers. Volume production for the i.MX515 device is planned for second quarter 2009 to power netbooks designed for the 2009 holiday shopping season.