New ARM9E Family Core Provides Unrivalled Low-Power Performance

CAMBRIDGE, UK – Dec. 3, 2003 – ARM [(LSE:ARM); (Nasdaq:ARMHY)], the industry’s leading provider of 16/32-bit embedded RISC processor solutions, today announced a new ARM9E™ family core for deeply embedded applications. The ARM968E-S™ core will be the smallest, lowest power, synthesizable ARM9E family core produced to date, and will provide an ideal solution for applications including networking, automotive, consumer entertainment and wireless solutions.

The ARM968E-S core integrates new benefits that improve the overall efficiency of the ARM9E family in performance, data handling and power consumption. It does this in a core that offers the smallest form factor of any ARM9E family product to date. The ARM968E-S core design has also concentrated on the efficiency of both processing and moving data in and out of tightly coupled memories (TCM).

The ARM968E-S core introduces a dedicated Direct Memory Access (DMA) port with TCM.  These enhanced benefits improve the efficiency of packet processing and data throughput, increasing the communications capacity of devices based on the new core.  The DMA capability is particularly suited to communications devices such as 802.11 clients, firewire or SCSI interfaces, but also applies to areas like audio where streams of data need to be processed.

The new benefits make the ARM968E-S core an ideal product for mid-range highly integrated chips that address cost sensitive markets including client end networking, automotive, wireless and consumer devices. The core is especially suited to applications such as audio players, wireless LANs and hard disk drive interfaces The ARM968E-S core will also have broad relevance for solutions in the imaging, networking and industrial markets.

“The profit margins available to producers of high-volume consumer and communications devices are constantly under pressure, but the technology demands are increasing relentlessly. This has created a growing demand for a new class of small, low cost, integratable microprocessors,” said Richard Phelan, Embedded Cores product manager, ARM.  “With the introduction of the ARM968E-S core, we will be able to meet the rapidly evolving need for these high performance yet cost-efficient, real-time processing microprocessors demanded by the next-generation of deeply embedded systems.” 

The ARM968E-S core has a low latency AMBA™ AHB-lite bus interface, and separate core and DMA clocking for low power idle mode operation. The ARM968E-S core integrates these benefits in a size that is 20 percent smaller than the ARM966E-S™ core and gives power savings of at least 10 percent. These innovations enable the
ARM968E-S core to cost-effectively reach new levels of power efficiency, conserve battery life and open up opportunities for the production of new affordable, high-performance consumer devices.

The ARM968E-S core builds on the success of ARM’s industry-leading ARM7TDMI® and ARM966E-S cores in deeply embedded applications.  The new ARM968E-S core will be first released via a lead ARM Partnerin Q1 2004.  It will be generally available to ARM Partners from March 2004.

About ARM
ARM (LSE: ARM; Nasdaq: ARMHY) is the industry's leading provider of 16/32-bit embedded RISC microprocessor solutions. The company licenses its high-performance, low-cost, power-efficient RISC processors, peripherals, and system-on-chip designs to leading international electronics companies. ARM also provides comprehensive support required in developing a complete system. ARM's microprocessor cores are rapidly becoming a volume RISC standard in such markets as portable communications, hand-held computing, multimedia digital consumer and embedded solutions. More information on ARM is available at http://www.arm.com.

ENDS

ARM and ARM7TDMI are registered trademarks of ARM Limited. ARM9E, ARM966E-S and ARM968E-S are trademarks of ARM Limited.  “ARM” is used to represent ARM Holdings plc (LSE: ARM and Nasdaq: ARMHY); its operating company ARM Limited; and the regional subsidiaries ARM INC; ARM KK; ARM Korea Ltd; ARM Taiwan; ARM France SAS; ARM Consulting (Shanghai) Co.Ltd.; and ARM Belgium N.V.