Freescale platform integrates ARM Cortex-M4 and Cortex-A5 cores

The product platform offers a host of peripherals such as a/d converters, d/a converters, programmable timers, on chip memory, flexible memory interfaces, high speed communication interfaces and security. According to Freescale, it will be the foundation of a family of embedded microprocessors, along with Kinetis mcus and i.MX applications processors. "With this platform, Freescale is dramatically simplifying the development challenge of adding applications processing to a system designed for real time control," said Reza Kazerounian, senior vice president and general manager of Freescale's Microcontroller Solutions Group, pictured. "We're the first to provide extensive mcu and apps processing capabilities in an integrated hardware software based solution, setting a new standard for the design of systems that need rich apps in real time." On top of the hardware product platform, Freescale will provide an interprocess communication (IPC) application programming interface (API). Freescale says the hardware and IPC API can be used to create differentiated applications without worrying about how the high level OS and rtos communicate with each other. Freescale also has plans to introduce a software development platform several months before the arrival of silicon. This approach, it says, can 'significantly' reduce industrial customers' software development cycle time. "Industrial applications like factory automation, medical devices and appliances are starting to incorporate more connectivity and sophisticated GUIs to give end users a simpler, safer and more consumer like experience," added Tony Massimini, chief of technology for Semico Research. Adding these features to a real time system has traditionally been done by adding an applications processor on top of a real time controller, which can be a real challenge for industrial system developers. Freescale is taking a unique approach with a new product platform that merges an apps processor and real time controller into one device to reduce complexity and cost, combined with a 'software before silicon' strategy for earlier software development." Freescale plans to offer the initial software development platform for its new product platform later this quarter and intends to announce the first industrial focused eMPU product families based on the new architecture in Q1 2012.. Derivatives of the new platform are planned for the automotive infotainment market. Automotive device details will be announced in Q2 2012.