Freescale licenses ARM Cortex-A7 and Cortex-A15 processor cores

Targeting embedded, automotive infotainment and smart mobile device applications, Freescale says for less performance demanding tasks, the Cortex-A15 processor can power down, while the Cortex-A7 handles lighter duty processing. According to Freescale, by employing what ARM calls Big.LITTLE processing, an SoC leverages two different, but compatible processing engines within the same device, allowing the power management software to select the right processor for the task. This approach, says the company, helps reduce overall system power consumption and extends battery life for mobile devices. Bernd Lienhard, vice president and general manager of Freescale's Multimedia Applications Division, said: "The high performance Cortex-A15 processor and ultra efficient Cortex-A7 processor will play a key role in delivering the 'just right' blend of performance, power consumption and price our customers have come to expect from the i.MX portfolio. We see great opportunities ahead with these ARM technologies and look forward to using them to create highly scalable, innovative i.MX solutions for a wide range of exciting markets." The newly announced Cortex-A7 processor is the most energy efficient applications processor ARM has ever developed, occupying less than 0.5mm². The Cortex-A15 processor is ARM's highest performance offering, running at up to 2.5GHz.