Actions Semiconductor Licenses ARM Cortex-A50 Processor Family to Target 64-bit Tablet Market

ZHUHAI, China and CAMBRIDGE, England -- June 27, 2014 -- Actions Semiconductor Co., Ltd., one of China's leading fabless semiconductor companies, and ARM, the world's leading semiconductor intellectual property (IP) supplier, have signed a license agreement for the 64-bit ARM® Cortex®-A50 processor family . Actions Semiconductor's first SoC is due to be available in late 2014, making it one of China's leading technology design companies delivering an ARM-based 64-bit chip for tablet devices.

Actions provides comprehensive portable multimedia and mobile internet system-on-a-chip (SoC) solutions for portable consumer electronics. With this IP license, Actions will develop 64-bit SoC solutions targeting the tablet and over-the-counter (OTT) set top box markets.

"We are pleased to extend our relationship with ARM by licensing the Cortex-A50 processor family," said Dr. Zhenyu Zhou, CEO of Actions Semiconductor. "We believe this investment in 64-bit architecture reinforces our position as one of the leading design houses in China providing leading-edge, high performance products at attractive price points. With the mobile industry rapidly migrating from 32-bit to 64-bit operating systems, we expect our next generation SoCs utilizing this IP will allow us to compete more effectively in both the branded and whitebox segments of the tablet and OTT set top box markets."

"Premium smartphones and tablets have become primary computing devices and that is driving strong demand for 64-bit solutions," said Allen Wu, president, ARM Greater China. "Actions Semiconductor is a valued partner and we believe the combination of its expertise in low power SoC development with the ARM Cortex-A50 processor family and ARM POP IP is an exciting way of fulfilling this requirement."

The ARM Cortex-A50 processor family is based on the ARMv8-A architecture , which first introduced 64-bit support to the ARM architecture with a focus on power-efficient implementation while maintaining compatibility with the existing 32-bit software. This 64-bit IP license will assist Actions Semiconductor in addressing higher performance markets and further strengthen its market position by extending its product portfolio from 32-bit to 64-bit technology.

About Actions Semiconductor

Actions Semiconductor is one of China's leading fabless semiconductor companies that provides comprehensive portable multimedia and mobile internet system-on-a-chip (SoC) solutions for portable consumer electronics. Actions Semiconductor products include SoCs, firmware, software, solution development kits, as well as detailed specifications of other required components. Actions Semiconductor also provides total product and technology solutions that allow customers to quickly introduce new portable consumer electronics to the mass market in a cost effective way. The Company is headquartered in Zhuhai, China, with offices in Shanghai and Shenzhen. For more information, please visit the Actions Semiconductor website at http://www.actions-semi.com .

About ARM

ARM is at the heart of the world's most advanced digital products. Our technology enables the creation of new markets and transformation of industries and society. We design scalable, energy-efficient processors and related technologies to deliver the intelligence in applications ranging from sensors to servers, including smartphones, tablets, enterprise infrastructure and the Internet of Things.

Our innovative technology is licensed by ARM Partners who have shipped more than 50 billion Systems on Chip (SoCs) containing our intellectual property since the company began in 1990. Together with our Connected Community, we are breaking down barriers to innovation for developers, designers and engineers, ensuring a fast, reliable route to market for leading electronics companies. Learn more and join the conversation at http://community.arm.com .