20 February 2009

Freescale's i.MX515 Chip Opens Wide Door For Netbooks

Freescale Semiconductor, a member of the ARM Connected Community,  has collaborated with a large number of companies to enable 3G connectivity and additional operating system options for netbooks based on its i.MX515 processor.

Freescale entered the netbook market in January 2009 with the introduction of the i.MX515 processor and a comprehensive netbook reference design. The solution is designed to enable consumer products that deliver gigahertz performance, a compelling graphics experience and eight hours of battery life between charges at extremely aggressive price points.

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.  

Developed jointly with Pegatron, the reference design includes Canonical’s Ubuntu operating system based on Linux technology. Freescale now has expanded its netbook ecosystem, adding support for additional operating systems from Android Open Source Project, Phoenix Technologies and Xandros, as well as 3G connectivity capabilities via collaboration with Wavecom and Option. Freescale plans to enable 3G connectivity by providing hardware and software support for data modules optimized for the i.MX515 applications processor, the company confirmed.

“Demand from third parties to partner with Freescale in the growing netbook market has been tremendous,” said Glen Burchers, marketing director for Freescale’s Consumer Segment. “Freescale is taking dead aim at the netbook space by assembling an outstanding portfolio of technologies and partners. As a result, we expect that a wide range of netbook models based on Freescale technology will be available for consumers in the second half of this year.”

“The buildout of Freescale's netbook ecosystem demonstrates the broad support that processors based on ARM Cortex-A8 technology offers,” added Bob Morris, director of Mobile Computing for ARM. “Freescale’s i.MX515 processor offers the performance, low-power operation and third-party support required for success in the fast-expanding netbook market.”

Freescale’s netbook reference design is available now. The company is now sampling the i.MX515 processor 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, Freescale said. Support for 3G connectivity, as well as for the Android, Phoenix Technologies and Xandros operating systems, is expected to coincide with volume production of the i.MX515.

According to figures from market research company ABI Research, consumers are expected to purchase 140 million netbooks in 2013, compared with only 15 million sold in 2008. Often priced between $300 and $400 (USD), netbooks are streamlined, embedded devices that provide more than enough performance for a host of Internet-based activities such as social networking, surfing the Web, using e-mail and other common tasks.