ARM Ltd. has released the PrimeXsys Platform that supports its ARM1176JZF-S 32-bit processor core, and has disclosed that the first licensee of the platform is STMicroelectronics (ST), which will incorporate it into ST's Nomadik family of multimedia application processors. The ARM1176JZF-S PrimeXsys Platform will also be implemented in test silicon and made available on ARM's development baseboards, and will be supported by ports of Linux and several other embedded OSes, ARM says.

Released a year ago, the ARM1176JZF-S core is based on the ARMv6 instruction set architecture and features support for ARM's security and power management technologies. The core is aimed at next-generation consumer devices requiring secure content and low power consumption, according to ARM.

ARM's PrimeXsys Platforms bundle hardware, software, and integration which are intended to help companies incorporate ARM CPU cores into customized embedded processors, ARM says. Additionally, the platforms are said to extend ARM's CPU core offerings by adding a range of licensable open architecture platforms, which act like pre-validated silicon building blocks accompanied by related hardware sub-systems, application software, and operating system ports.

According to ARM, the newly released PrimeXsys Platform implements TrustZone technology for enhanced security, Intelligent Energy Manager (IEM) technology for power efficiency, and CoreSight technology for easier system debug.

This latest PrimeXsys platform also represents the first reference design for ARM TrustZone technology, which includes TrustZone architecture extensions as well as the recently announced TrustZone software. In the ARM1176JZF-S PrimeXsys Platform, security is treated as a system-level concern that tightly integrats hardware with trusted software, according to ARM. TrustZone technology is said to protect the operating system, the protocol stack, and the network against attack, as well as to secure users' mobile data and downloadable applications, games, and media content.

ARM claims that the ARM1176JZF-S processor within the PrimeXsys Platform is the first ARM processor to include support for Intelligent Energy Manager technology, which increases the battery life of handheld portable devices by optimally balancing processor workload and power consumption. IEM is a combination of hardware and software components that can apply both clock and voltage scaling techniques to help reduce power consumption by up to 75 percent while the chip is active.

Another feature of the platform, CoreSight technology for system level debug and trace, is said to provide system-wide monitoring and profiling capabilities in one package, which can reduce system integration time by up to 40 percent.

Pricing and Availability

The ARM1176JZF-S PrimeXsys Platform is available for license today. The platform will also be implemented in test silicon and made available on the next generation of ARM RealView Versatile Platform Baseboards, according to the company. ARM will provide OS ports for the baseboard, including Windows CE, embedded Linux, and Symbian OS. The baseboard and software are expected to be available in the second half of 2005. TrustZone software is licensed separately from ARM and is expected to be available in Q1 2005.

 
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