ARM Cortex-R8 Processor Trail-blazes 5G Need for Speed

The new ARM Cortex-R8 processor will enable chip designers to double the performance of ARM-based modem and mass storage device SoCs. ARM’s latest real-time CPU offers the low latency, high performance and power efficiency demanded by future 5G modems and mass storage devices. The processor is available for licensing now and silicon is expected in 2016.

A quad-core configuration dramatically boosts the total Cortex-R8 performance, which when combined with its real time features and extended low-latency memory makes Cortex-R8 the highest performing processor in its class.

"5G will revolutionize mobile communications as it delivers the ability to significantly increase data rates, offering a far better mobile experience,” said James McNiven, general manager, CPU Group, ARM. "The Cortex-R8 is the most powerful real-time CPU available and its unrivalled performance will make it instrumental in the creation of 5G modems. It will form the communications heart of future smartphones, tablets, connected cars and IoT.”

ARM has been the number one CPU architecture in cellular modems since the first generation of GSM devices in the 1990s. It has formed the backbone of more than 20 billion cellular devices worldwide and continues to do so in the latest smartphones and connected IoT products that will be unveiled at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next week.

"The ARM architecture is the trusted standard for real-time high-performance processing in modems,” said Daniel Diao, deputy general manager, Turing Processor Business Unit, Huawei. "As a leader in cellular technology, Huawei is already working on 5G solutions and we welcome the significant performance uplift the Cortex-R8 will deliver. We expect it to be widely deployed in any device where low latency and high performance communication is a critical success factor.”

ARM silicon partners have already begun design work. SoCs based on the Cortex-R8 targeting the mass storage market segment are likely to be available in 2016. Modem designs using Cortex-R8 processors will support the rollout of the new LTE-Advanced Pro and 5G standards. The Cortex-R8 is also compatible with existing software so design cycles will be reduced, allowing developers to extend their real-time product ranges based on a single CPU architecture.

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Notes to Editors

Cortex-R8 Support

Training for Cortex-R8 software and hardware is available to book online. For those migrating from an earlier Cortex-R core, a custom migration course is available which can be delivered on demand to enable the fastest possible start to a design project.

Further details about the new features and capabilities, and supporting technology for the Cortex-R processor family can be found here.

The 5G Future

LTE-Advanced Pro and 5G are expected to meet the requirements of ever increasing high data rates, low latency, and a large increase in machine-to-machine and IoT communications. These requirements combined with increased carrier aggregation, efficient use of fragmented spectrum, and continued energy efficiency place significant demands on future modems.

Cortex-R8 based SoCs enable future modems to meet the demand for more efficient and scalable performance by employing a quad-core CPU configuration, coherency system and rich set of memory and peripheral interfaces. Cortex-R8 delivers the scalable performance, low power, fast and highly deterministic interrupt response times and extremely low-latency interfaces which will be required in all future mobile broadband devices.

Next Generation Data Storage

ARM is the leading architecture for data storage SoC solutions with over 1.4Bn Cortex-R processors having been shipped in data storage and used by all major HDD and SSD SoC suppliers. The Cortex-R8 extends the company’s range by providing mass storage controller developers with the performance, capability and efficiency vital for higher capacity and faster data rates in hard and solid state drives across enterprise and consumer storage solutions. Cortex-R8 enables this in a highly efficient way by dynamically scaling performance as workload changes. The Cortex-R8 includes a range of very low latency dedicated interfaces that help ensure performance is extended through the SoC system.

About ARM

ARM is at the heart of the world's most advanced digital products. Our technology enables the development of new markets and transformation of industries and society, invisibly creating opportunity for a globally connected population. We design scalable, energy-efficient processors and related technologies to deliver intelligence wherever computing happens, ranging from sensors to servers, including smartphones, tablets, digital TVs, enterprise infrastructure and the Internet of Things.

Our innovative technology is licensed by ARM Partners who have shipped more than 75 billion System on Chip (SoCs) containing our intellectual property. Together with our Connected Community, we are breaking down barriers to innovation for developers, designers and engineers, ensuring a fast, reliable route to market for leading electronics companies. Learn more and join the conversation at http://community.arm.com.

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