Multicore ARM processors fit high-end, power-efficient apps
September 22, 2014
Speaking of low power, TI's KeyStone architecture delivers multicore performance at less than 10 W.
Speaking of low-power design – what, you didn’t read my last blog on low-power design? – TI recently announced a line of microprocessors (MPUs) based on its KeyStone technology. The AM5KEx processors enable designers to build power- and area-efficient systems while maintaining a low power budget for a wide range of applications, including avionics and defense, industrial routing and switching, enterprise gateway, and general-purpose embedded controllers.
The KeyStone multicore architecture is the platform upon which TIís TMS320C66x DSP generation was developed. According to the company, KeyStone differs from competitive multicore architectures with its capacity to provide full processing capability to every core in a multicore device.
Some of the key features of the AM5K2Ex family include performance under 10 W with up to 19600 DMIPS from the quad-core ARM Cortex-A15s at 1.4 GHz and 6 Mb of on-chip memory; power management features that can shut down unused cores or peripherals and bring these elements back up quickly when the processing load increases; and a 4 Mb L2 cache memory with ECC.
It’s the wide temperature range, from -40 ∞C to +100 ∞C, which allows it to support a diverse set of applications. Thatís combined with a lifecycle of 100,000 power-on hours (POHs) and soft error rates (SERs) that are aligned to meet the reliability requirements of the industrial and defense markets.
A Linux software development kit is available, as well as a set of C66x DSP libraries.
Rich Nass is a regular contributor to Embedded Computing Design. He has appeared on more than 500 episodes of the popular Embedded Executive podcast series, and is a regular contributor to the Embedded Insiders podcast.
Rich has been in the engineering OEM industry for more than 35 years, and is a recognized expert in the areas of embedded computing, Edge AI, industrial computing, the IoT, and cyber-resiliency and safety and security issues. He writes and speaks regularly on these topics and more.
Rich is currently the Liaison to Industry for the Embedded World North America Exhibition and Conference, and has held similar positions with the global Embedded World Conference and Exhibition.
Previously, Rich was the Brand Director for UBM’s award-winning Design News property. Prior to that, he led the content team for UBM Canon’s Medical Devices Group, as well all custom properties and events. In prior stints, he led the Content Team at EE Times, handling the Embedded and Custom groups and the TechOnline DesignLine network of design engineering web sites.
Nass holds a BSEE degree from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.
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