ARM announces 2.5GHz Cortex-A15 processor for mobile devices

by Steven Mostyn - Sep 9 2010, 10:25

At present, the majority of mobile computing devices (smartphones to tablets) are powered by thoroughly capable 1GHz processors with new 1.2GHz iterations expected to push against boundaries in the not-too-distant future.

However, UK-based chipmaker ARM and contributing partners Samsung, ST Ericsson and Texas Instruments might be about to cause a massive quality shift across the market after revealing the 2.5GHz Cortex-A15 MPCore processor, which could well usher in a significant performance upturn on all mobile devices.

According to ARM, the Cortex-A15 is capable of delivering a 5x performance advantage over today’s advanced smartphone processors along with comparable energy usage. This boost should then allow hardware creators to fashion an impressive array of new products ranging from next-generation smartphones, tablets, Netbooks and even digital home entertainment set-top devices.

“The launch of the Cortex-A15 MPCore processor marks the beginning of an entirely new era for the ARM Partnership. It brings together more than 20 years of ARM expertise in low-power design with a host of new and very aggressive high-performance technologies,” enthused Mike Inglis, executive vice president and general manager of ARM’s Processor Division.

“The Cortex-A15 MPCore processor will become the next major step along the industry’s energy-efficient computing roadmap and open up a wide range of new application possibilities for our Partners,” he added.

Although it remains to be seen exactly where the Cortex-A15 will land, the nimble processor does seem perfectly suited for smartphones and tablet computers, not least because – like all other Cortex platforms – the new mobile CPU is compatible with Google’s Android operating system, Adobe Flash, Java SE, Windows Embedded Compact 7, Linux, Symbian and Ubuntu.

ARM already has several Cortex-branded processors powering an array of mobile devices, including products such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab, Samsung Fascinate, and Nokia N900.

The new Cortex-A15 is available immediately for licensing in manufacturing processes of 28nm and 32nm.

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