The upcoming release of Asus' Transformer Prime based on the NVIDIA Tegra 3 released a few days ago highlights the uptake of embedded technologies that use multicore in mainstream consumer devices. The TP is based upon NVIDIA's Tegra which in turn is based upon ARM's quadcore Cortex-A9.
Asus claim that the TP is the first Tegra-3 based machine around (see http://www.asus.com/News/B780DjsZhrYc9Lts/# for more). It may or may not be the ideal machine for you, I really wouldn't know, but it's very interesting for all that ;-) .
The real point is that Tegra 3 is a quad-core processor, with an ancillary fifth core (which is also an A9) built using a low-power silicon process, whose aim is to reduce power consumption in standby mode. The idea is for a phone/tablet etc to be able to power down all the "standard" cores and go to a low-power standby mode thereby achieving minimal re-boot time if you get distracted from it for a few minutes. There is logic on board to allow migration of state in a seamless way. There has been a lot of work done around migration over the past few years, but this is the first time that I recall a mainstream player in a mainstream device using it. Its an issue which is very much alive and will be crucial to the field longevity of embedded devices. But, is long-life important in the consumer market? then maybe I am just getting cynical!
Beyond Tegra 3 comes Tegra 4, which will be quad-core or eight-core and based on the A-15 MP, which is scheduled for 2012 (sometime!). It is worth noting that while the spec for Tegra 4 talks about octo-core, that configuration isn't one imposed by scaling limits as the AMBA interconnect that ARM provide should scale well beyond two A-15s. The A-15 comes with hardware virtualisation, but the current spec sheet at ARM (see http://www.arm.com/products/processors/cortex-a/cortex-a15.php ) indicates that cores may be individually shut down in order to reduce power consumption. A similar strategy has been used before (for example by Intel) I wonder which approach will appear in Tegra 4 as it gets used in tablets and other low-power devices.
Wednesday, 16 November 2011
Friday, 11 November 2011
ARM
Recently ARM (http://www.arm.com/) announced its ARMv8 architecture which goes beyond the ARMv7, used in designs such as the Cortex-A15 and -A9.
The new ARMv8 architecture is the first of the company's architectures to include a 64-bit instruction set and thus to address 64-bit processing, an area in which the company from which the company has been singulaly absent. V8 offers the ability to extend the target product range from the company's core embedded processor market all the way up to servers and enterprise systems. ARM believe that the new architecture will greatly enhance the company's profile in markets where their combination of low-power and architectural expertise and where power-efficiency is all.
ARM say that they will disclose processors based on ARMv8 during 2012, with consumer and enterprise prototype systems are anticipated during 2014. There is no indication of throughput, of course, but already there has already been talk in some circles of grafting the ARMv8 architecture into purpose-built designs for HPC-style applications. Central to this is the potent combination of 64-bits and lowering power-consumption, in turn reducing Total Cost of Ownership. While this is a possibility it is at present no more than an idea.
An ever-increasing number of companies already use ARM-based products in clusters in which a group of ARM-based multicores reside on a single chip or which use clusters of ARMs (a slightly surreal image ) on a single board. The low-power consumption and dissipation of the company's designs, albeit at relatively modest throughput levels, makes them well-suited to a range of applications including "embedded cloud". In turn this positions them well for those very large-scale systems-of-systems and "ultra-large scale systems" where low-power and decentralised ability to host cloud functionality is the order of the day.
ARM already has a considerable presence in the IT market. It is the largest supplier of designs for the embedded market and most manufacturers use at least some of its designs somewhere. It is often said to be one of the UK's best-kept high-tech secrets Could V8 take ARM into the server and enterprise markets in the same way? Could it take ARM and even the market as a whole into new realms?
Only time will tell.
The new ARMv8 architecture is the first of the company's architectures to include a 64-bit instruction set and thus to address 64-bit processing, an area in which the company from which the company has been singulaly absent. V8 offers the ability to extend the target product range from the company's core embedded processor market all the way up to servers and enterprise systems. ARM believe that the new architecture will greatly enhance the company's profile in markets where their combination of low-power and architectural expertise and where power-efficiency is all.
ARM say that they will disclose processors based on ARMv8 during 2012, with consumer and enterprise prototype systems are anticipated during 2014. There is no indication of throughput, of course, but already there has already been talk in some circles of grafting the ARMv8 architecture into purpose-built designs for HPC-style applications. Central to this is the potent combination of 64-bits and lowering power-consumption, in turn reducing Total Cost of Ownership. While this is a possibility it is at present no more than an idea.
An ever-increasing number of companies already use ARM-based products in clusters in which a group of ARM-based multicores reside on a single chip or which use clusters of ARMs (a slightly surreal image ) on a single board. The low-power consumption and dissipation of the company's designs, albeit at relatively modest throughput levels, makes them well-suited to a range of applications including "embedded cloud". In turn this positions them well for those very large-scale systems-of-systems and "ultra-large scale systems" where low-power and decentralised ability to host cloud functionality is the order of the day.
ARM already has a considerable presence in the IT market. It is the largest supplier of designs for the embedded market and most manufacturers use at least some of its designs somewhere. It is often said to be one of the UK's best-kept high-tech secrets Could V8 take ARM into the server and enterprise markets in the same way? Could it take ARM and even the market as a whole into new realms?
Only time will tell.
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