ARM Agrees Subscription License With Renesas Technology

New subscription license grants Renesas access to industry-leading ARM processors for next-generation mobile and consumer devices

CAMBRIDGE, UK – Feb. 12, 2008 –ARM today announced that ARM and Renesas Technology Corp have signed a subscription license that gives Renesas full access to all ARM® processor IP for future-generation products. The agreement also enables Renesas to obtain access to new ARM technology to meet demands for low-power system solutions for mobile applications, digital home electronics and office automation systems. The subscription licensing model is the first of its kind for ARM’s Japanese customer base, and expands a long-term strategic technology partnership between ARM and Renesas Technology.

As end-users seek increased functionality and capabilities from their mobile phones and portable devices, the ability to run multiple applications with minimal power drain is crucial. The latest processor solutions from ARM enable this benefit in a wide variety of end products.

“In its bid to create comprehensive solutions, Renesas Technology has been developing buses and memory interface architectures that deliver high-speed data transmission and storage, as well as developing software drivers and middleware that utilize these systems’ performance, based on CPU cores and IP technology,” said Shiro Baba, board director and executive general manager of Renesas Technology’s Systems Solution Business Group. “While Renesas Technology already offers powerful SuperH™ CPU cores, and is newly developing low power CPU RX series for MCU products, in response to our customers’ requests for a broader product range we are complementing our products with ARM’s widely used processors.  The new licence from ARM gives us an optimal SoC solution, enabling us to provide a wide range of CPUs from both Renesas Technology and ARM.”

“In a constantly evolving marketplace, ARM is committed to empowering its Partners with the resources they need to not only remain competitive today, but to meet future technology challenges head-on,” said Tudor Brown, chief operating officer, ARM. “The combination of ARM’s advanced processor technology and Renesas Technology’s leadership in advanced SoC development and mass production forms a solid foundation for the development of pioneering semiconductor products.”

Since 2004, ARM has licensed proven processor technology to Renesas, for mobile SoC design and ASIC design in consumer applications.

ARM latest processers
As the industry’s leading provider of 32-bit embedded RISC microprocessors, with in excess of ten billion processors being shipped by its Partners since the company was formed in 1990, ARM offers a wide range of processors based on a common architecture to deliver optimum performance together with low power consumption and system cost. Advanced processors such as the ARM Cortex™-A8 processor more than meet the requirements for power-optimized mobile devices, needing full functionality at less than 300mW, and in performance-optimized consumer applications requiring 2000 Dhrystone MIPS. Targeted implementations of the ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore™  multicore processor enable mobile devices with increased peak performance by utilizing the design flexibility and advanced power management techniques offered by the ARM MPCore technology to maintain operation within tight mobile power budgets.

About ARM
ARM designs the technology that lies at the heart of advanced digital products, from wireless, networking and consumer entertainment solutions to imaging, automotive, security and storage devices. ARM’s comprehensive product offering includes 16/32-bit RISC microprocessors, data engines, graphics processors, digital libraries, embedded memories, peripherals, software and development tools, as well as analog functions and high-speed connectivity products. Combined with the company’s broad Partner community, they provide a total system solution that offers a fast, reliable path to market for leading electronics companies. More information on ARM is available at http://www.arm.com.