Fujitsu Semiconductor Licenses ARM big.LITTLE and Mali-T624 Technologies to Support a Wide Range of Consumer and Industrial Devices

Fujitsu Semiconductor combines leading-edge ARM® Cortex® and Mali™ processors to meet the needs of the visual computing space at advanced levels of energy efficiency

Yokohama, Japan and Cambridge, UK – JULY 2, 2013 – Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited and ARM today announced a licensing agreement that enables Fujitsu Semiconductor to release a system on chip (SoC) solution which takes advantage of the benefits of ARM big.LITTLE™ technology and ARM Mali-T624 graphics processing. Fujitsu Semiconductor’s first SoC solution under this agreement will incorporate a dual-core Cortex-A15 processor and dual-core Cortex-A7 processor intended for a wide range of consumer and industrial devices, and for visualization systems which enable users to control data and programs via on-screen graphics. Fujitsu Semiconductor brings their extensive experience in these markets to realize the benefits offered by the big.LITTLE combination, while optimizing graphics plus graphics processing unit (GPU) Compute functionality. Utilizing a quad-core version of the Mali-T624 GPU to take over specific tasks from the CPU greatly enhances overall system performance and user experience, while improving system power.  

ARM big.LITTLE technology answers one of today's biggest industry challenges: How to create a system on chip (SoC) that provides both high performance as well as improved energy efficiency. big.LITTLE processing brings scalable and efficient performance to the tightly-coupled combination of two ARM dual CPU clusters. This arrangement is transparent to computer programs, with the big.LITTLE multi-processing (MP) software automatically choosing the right processor for the right job. This is one of the most efficient ways to build an ARM quad-core system and delivers up to 70% energy savings with peak performance. Find out more about big.LITTLE technology here.

Consumers’ expectations of visual interfaces and user experiences continue to rise. The industry’s focus is on how these expectations can be met in an exciting yet energy efficient way. Both ARM Cortex CPUs and Mali processors have been designed with this key demand in mind. The combination of ARM Cortex and Mali enables not only the underlying ARM architecture benefits to be realized but also enables tasks to be assigned across the system to be run on the optimal processor. This flexibility is created through big.LITTLE technology and Mali GPU market-leading support for GPU Compute functionality.  

“Being able to bring a flexible, high-performance solution to address the dynamic market associated with visual computing is vital for Fujitsu Semiconductor.” said Mitsugu Naito, executive vice president, Advanced Products Business Unit, Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited. ”The energy-efficient pairing of ARM Cortex CPUs in a big.LITTLE configuration with the market-leading performance and GPU Compute functionality offered by the Mali-T624 GPU opens up a wide range of opportunities for the features offered to end consumers and industrial applications.”  

“ARM is pleased to be building on a close relationship with Fujitsu Semiconductor and we are excited about the potential offered by combining big.LITTLE technology with Mali GPUs for a wider range of end devices,” said Pete Hutton, executive vice president & general manager, Media Processing Division, ARM. “The capabilities of next-generation ARM Cortex and Mali GPUs in concert will make innovative features possible for consumers and businesses with market-leading energy efficiency at the system level.”  

About Fujitsu Semiconductor

Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited designs, manufactures, and sells semiconductors, providing highly reliable, optimal solutions and support to meet the varying needs of its customers. Products and services include microcontrollers, ASICs, ASSPs, and power management ICs, with wide-ranging expertise focusing on mobile, ecological, automotive, imaging, security, and high-performance applications. Fujitsu Semiconductor also drives power efficiency and environmental initiatives. Headquartered in Yokohama, Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited (formerly named Fujitsu Microelectronics Limited) was established as a subsidiary of Fujitsu Limited on March 21, 2008. Through its global sales and development network, with sites in Japan and throughout Asia, Europe, and the Americas, Fujitsu Semiconductor offers semiconductor solutions to the global marketplace.

For more information, please see: http://jp.fujitsu.com/fsl/en/
  
About ARM   

ARM designs the technology that is at the heart of advanced digital products, from wireless, networking and consumer entertainment solutions to imaging, automotive, security and storage devices. ARMs comprehensive product offering includes RISC microprocessors, graphics processors, video engines, enabling software, cell libraries, embedded memories, high-speed connectivity products, peripherals and development tools. Combined with comprehensive design services, training, support and maintenance, and the companys broad Partner community, they provide a total system solution that offers a fast, reliable path to market for leading electronics companies. 

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