ARM Cores Take on PC Processors

2016 handsets to run 4K video, console games

Jessica Lipsky, EETimes
2/3/2015 07:30 PM EST

SAN FRANCISCO – ARM announced a new processor core, GPU core, and interconnect targeted for mobile SoCs. The 64-bit Cortex-A72 processor core, Mali-T880 graphics core, and CoreLink CCI-500 aim to power a new class of mobile devices that “serve as your primary and only compute platform.”

While slim on specs, ARM promises that its Cortex-A72 processor will deliver 3.5 times the performance of its Cortex-A15 devices while consuming 75% less power. ARM says its Mali-T880 graphics cores are similarly impressive in generation-over-generation improvements supporting resolutions up to 4K pixels at 120 frames/second.

The new version of the cache coherent CoreLink provides twice the memory bandwidth and 30% more performance as a processor/memory interconnect than ARM's earlier version. It also supports ARM's TrustZone for secure decoding of video from a Mali core.

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