The AX65 is the first of the high-performance out-of-order AX60 series and is equipped with a 13-stage pipeline, 4-wide decode, 8-wide out-of-order execution, and targets the Linux application processor sockets of computing, networking, and high-end controllers.
Andes has had some real success with the development of embedded controllers and high-performance AI vector processors and as RISC-V ecosystem for Linux is getting matured, the demand for high-performance RISC-V processors for general-purpose applications continues to increase.
Andes has introduced the AX65 to complete its comprehensive CPU lineup, spanning from low-power embedded solutions to high-end Out-of-Order processors. Customers who develop complex SOC can now use AX65 as the primary Linux application processor, the AX45MPV/NX27V for the vector/DSP processing and the N25/N225 processors as the resource and power manager.
Leveraging the entire range of CPUs in the AndesCore families enables customers to streamline their development process, benefit from integrated support, and significantly reduce development cost.
The AX65 operates at speeds exceeding 2.0GHz on a 12nm process, boasting a SpecInt2006 score of 8.25 per GHz — outperforming the Cortex A75 with an efficient memory hierarchy. It also supports up to 8-core cache coherence with maximum 8MB shared cache.
The AX65 is also fully compliant with the RISC-V RVA22 profile, ensuring compatibility with operating systems and software within the RISC-V ecosystem.
On the security side, AX65 supports Enhanced PMP (ePMP) for further securing memory accesses, and K (scalar cryptography) extension for accelerating AES and SHA crypto operations. For running Linux OS, the AX65 supports VIPT L1 instruction cache, SV48 virtual address space, and 2-level TLB with simultaneous hardware page walkers. It also incorporates state-of-the-art branch prediction mechanism with TAGE-L algorithm, return address stack and 2-level branch target buffer.
The AX65 can be used as an application processor in networking applications like Wi-Fi, 5Gnr, and O-RAN, as well as in edge computing and industrial PCs. It is also well-suited for serving as the primary controller processor in embedded applications.
“AX65 is our first out-of-order processor. It brings over 100% performance boost on SPECint2006 over the popular 45 Series processors. The successful launch of AX65 marks a quantum leap in performance of our processor lineup. With this proven OoO architecture, we can now target additional high-performance opportunities such as the main processors in AI/ML, Multimedia, Networking and Storage,” said Dr. Charlie Su, President and CTO of Andes Technology.
Early customers in Asia, Europe and USA have been evaluating AX65 since August. Customers in multimedia and AI/ML have already signed up. The AX65 with Linux and RTOS support as well as development tools is available immediately for general licensing.
