The biggest announcement that Freescale had to make at the Electronica event is that the company has started the production of a new series of processors. Freescale believes the new processors will bring about a quantum change in the way we perceive the mobile device segment, such as ebook readers and tablet PCs. The i.MX6 series applications processors comprises of individual chips having a single, dual, or four ARM A9 cores, which the company claims to make for the “industry’s most scalable family of applications processors.” This in turn will allow device manufacturers greater flexibility in designing hardware around the new generation of processors that each promise “new levels of embedded performance and energy efficiency.”
“The i.MX 6 series is distinguished by the sheer breadth of the offering, in terms of scalability, price/performance ratios, and the flexibility to support multiple applications,” said Geoff Lees, senior vice president and general manager of Freescale’s Microcontroller Group. “Its broad adoption across many different vertical segments, combined with strong ecosystem support, makes it the platform of choice for years to come.”
The i.MX6 processor series comprises of 5 chips in all. Product capabilities range from support for “two (dual QXGA, 2048 x 1536) or four (dual WUXGA, 1920×1200 + dual HD1080) simultaneous displays” to “E Ink and Sipix low-power display technology.” What this means is that the new i.MX6 processors provide e-reader and tablet makers ample opportunities to design suitable products. Some of the biggest names in the e-reader business, such as Kobo or Amazon, use Freescale processors and the new range of processors will provide the companies with a head-start in designing the next generation of devices.
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MUNICH–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Nov. 13, 2012– The industry’s most scalable family of applications processors is shipping now in volume quantities, paving the way for new levels of embedded performance and energy efficiency in a wide range of fast-growing applications.
Integrating one, two or four ARM® Cortex™-A9 cores running up to 1.2 GHz, Freescale’s i.MX 6 series combines outstanding performance with optimized power consumption and unmatched scalability. The series includes five devices: the single-core i.MX 6Solo and i.MX 6SoloLite, dual-core i.MX 6Dual and i.MX 6DualLite, and quad-core i.MX 6Quad applications processors. Together, these products represent the industry’s only ARM-based applications processor series featuring software, power and pin compatibility across single-, dual- and quad-core implementations.
“The i.MX 6 series is distinguished by the sheer breadth of the offering, in terms of scalability, price/performance ratios, and the flexibility to support multiple applications,” said Geoff Lees, senior vice president and general manager of Freescale’s Microcontroller Group. “Its broad adoption across many different vertical segments, combined with strong ecosystem support, makes it the platform of choice for years to come.”
i.MX 6 series applications processors have been selected to power a broad range of highly innovative products across applications including automotive infotainment systems, display-based industrial equipment, IPTV solutions, medical equipment, eReaders, market-specific media tablets and more.
Redefining state-of-the-art for applications processing
Integrated multimedia accelerators, power management capabilities, a vast array of market specific I/Os, and pin and software compatibility across families reduce overall product complexity, system cost and development investments. The i.MX 6 series offers OEMs fast time-to-value, enabling the rapid creation of complete end-product portfolios that can adjust and scale to meet evolving market demands.
Product capabilities include dual-stream 1080p H.264 video processing for 3D class video decoding, Freescale’s Triple Play graphics architecture consisting of console-style 3D graphics with 200 MT/s for exceptional display resolution, separate 2D BLT engine for UI acceleration and separate 2D OpenVG engine for vector-based graphics.
Other notable features found in many of the i.MX 6 series processors include:
- Display support for up to two (dual QXGA, 2048 x 1536) or four (dual WUXGA,
- 1920×1200 + dual HD1080) simultaneous displays
- Display interfaces such as LVDS and HDMI
Support for E Ink and Sipix low-power display technology
Camera interfaces
Optimized peripheral sets such as PCIe/SATA/GbE, USB/SD/MIPI, CAN controller/MLB150 bus tailored to service, automotive infotainment, consumer and industrial markets
A 64-bit memory bus for optimal performance, and memory interfaces to support DDR3, DDR3L and LP-DDR2
Advanced security features such as High Assurance Boot, cryptographic cipher engines, random number generator, and tamper detection
Integrated power management to simplify design and reduce the number of external components
0.8 mm pitch BGA packaging and consumer, industrial and automotive grade products
Longevity of supply
Freescale’s i.MX 6 series features outstanding power efficiency made possible by intelligent system design, dedicated hardware accelerators, and the power-efficiency of ARM Cortex-A9 core technology. The i.MX 6 series can deliver up to 24 hours of HD video playback and 30-plus days of device standby time. Integrated power management capabilities reduce external components thereby lowering system cost and complexity.
Comprehensive development support
In addition to software available from Freescale, a broad range of global development partners offer solutions and support for the i.MX 6 series. Freescale is introducing three new, market-focused Smart Application Blueprint for Rapid Engineering (SABRE) platforms designed to speed and simplify development on i.MX 6 processors. Available now to help speed time to market are the SABRE platform for smart devices, SABRE for automotive infotainment and SABRE board for smart devices, Freescale has also developed the SABRE Lite platform design that serves the broad developer community and has been brought to market by Boundary Devices and element14.
The i.MX 6 series is also supported by a wide array of partners with solutions available today including embedded board solutions, software solutions, hardware components and design partners. i.MX 6 series embedded board partners include Advantech, Cogent, Congatec, iWave Phytec and Seco. Hardware components partners include Silex for wireless connectivity and Dialog and Wolfson for power management ICs. Software support for i.MX 6 includes, Green Hills Software INTEGRITY RTOS, Mentor Graphics® Nucleus RTOS, Mentor Embedded IVI and Mentor Embedded Linux, QNX and QNX CAR™ 2 application platform, WindRiver Linux and VxWorks RTOS, Adeneo Embedded , Digi International, Oracle® Java SE Embedded, TimeSys LinuxLink, and YOUi Labs’ Natural User Interface. For a comprehensive list of i.MX 6 series partners, please view the Featured Partners list at www.freescale.com/imx6series.
i.MX 6 series products are supported by an open community of i.MX developers and users with the common interest of transforming i.MX applications processors into virtually anything imaginable – including tablets, eReaders, smart appliances, smart medical devices or automotive infotainment systems. The i. is an active community where open source developers can share knowledge, development tips and code. Visit imxcommunity.org.
Product availability
To order i.MX 6 series applications processors and development systems, please contact Freescale or an authorized Freescale distributor. More information about i.MX 6 series products is available at www.freescale.com/iMX6series
Freescale’s i.MX 6 series processors are included in Freescale’s product longevity program, with assured supply for a minimum of 10 years. For Terms and Conditions and to obtain a list of available products, visit freescale.com/productlongevity.
About Freescale
Freescale Semiconductor (NYSE: FSL) is a global leader in embedded processing solutions, providing industry leading products that are advancing the automotive, consumer, industrial and networking markets. From microprocessors and microcontrollers to sensors, analog integrated circuits and connectivity – our technologies are the foundation for the innovations that make our world greener, safer, healthier and more connected. Some of our key applications and end-markets include automotive safety, hybrid and all-electric vehicles, next generation wireless infrastructure, smart energy management, portable medical devices, consumer appliances and smart mobile devices. The company is based in Austin, Texas, and has design, research and development, manufacturing and sales operations around the world. www.freescale.com
Freescale and the Freescale logo are trademarks of Freescale Semiconductor, Inc., Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm. Off. ARM is the registered trademark of ARM Limited. Cortex is the trademark of ARM Limited. Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. © 2012 Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
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With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.
