MEDIA RELEASE PR36653
Marvell Launches ARMADA -- New Application Processors for Next Generation Mobile
Computing and Intelligent Connected Devices
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Oct. 19 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --
Breakthrough for Consumers: Marvell's High Performance, Low
Power Application Processors Deliver Immersive Multimedia and Seamless
Internet Connectivity Optimized for Multiple Software Standards
Marvell (Nasdaq: MRVL), a world leader in storage, communications, and
consumer silicon solutions, today announced the game-changing ARMADA(TM)
family of processors designed specifically for next generation ARM
instruction set smartphones, smartbooks, consumer and embedded devices, and
displays. In addition to true mobility - from lightweight designs and long
battery life - today's connected consumers and enterprise users demand high
quality, instantaneous personal entertainment, and content from a multitude
of social-networking and other cloud-based services.
The ARMADA family of application processors sets a new standard by
offering CPU cores with PC-class performance, support for Adobe Flash
technology and Blu-ray functionality. Additional features include complete
broadband connectivity for the next wave of innovative electronics, spanning
price points from low cost consumer gadgets all the way to premium
performance devices. Customer adoption has been rapid: to date, Marvell
ARMADA application processors have won more than 50 design wins.
At the core of the ARMADA family is the company's patented CPU
technology. According to the analyst firm, the Linley Group, ARM instruction
set CPUs - which power 98 percent of all mobile phones - are becoming the
standard for other forms of mobile computing. Marvell ships one billion chips
per year, two-thirds of which include Marvell CPUs running the ARM
instruction set, making Marvell the largest producer of ARM chips in the
world.
"Launch of the ARMADA family represents a watershed event in mobile
computing," said Ms. Weili Dai, Marvell's Cofounder and Vice President and
General Manager of the Company's Consumer and Computing Business Unit. "The
ARMADA family delivers to mobile devices what skeptics once doubted could be
done: fast, PC-caliber processing, full Internet experience, rich media
including HD quality video and 3D graphics - all in lightweight form factors
with long battery life. There will always be a place for PCs, but the future
of mobile computing - for smartbooks, e-readers, smart tablets and more -
will by necessity get its DNA from smartphones, not PCs. Marvell's
world-leading technology portfolio allows us to provide a complete platform
solution not only for mobile computing, but also smartphones, gaming,
printers, personal and home entertainment, and emerging consumer markets."
"The significance of the ARMADA line of processors is its unique
scalability. ARMADA can be used to run everything from full-feature netbooks,
smartphones to intelligent displays and blu-ray class devices," said Tim
Bajarin, Principal Analyst with Creative Strategies. "Marvell's ARMADA line
of processors delivers PC-power, full Internet experience, very low power
consumption, and price points suitable for mass markets."
The ARMADA processors are designed to offer the best combination of price
and performance across all device markets.
- The ARMADA 100 series delivers high performance at low price points for
mainstream Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs), connected consumer products,
e-readers, and new personal information appliances.
- The ARMADA 500 series combines computing horsepower, compelling
multimedia, and seamless connectivity for high-end smartbooks and
tablets.
- The ARMADA 600 series is dedicated to high-end smartphones, delivering
high performance applications and multimedia in small form factors and
low power requirements.
- The ARMADA 1000 series is focused on enabling the next generation of
connected full-HD consumer devices, delivering immersive viewing
experiences and offering a variety of networked applications at
mainstream price points.
Designed from the ground-up, Marvell's best-in-class ARM CPUs are at the
heart of each chip. Unlike comparable products in the industry, Marvell's
CPUs deliver higher performance and lower power dissipation while providing
full software compatibility to all ARM-based applications.
In addition, Marvell is introducing the newest member of the ARMADA
family, the ARMADA 510 - the Company's first ARM v7 instruction set
architecture compatible application processor. The ARMADA 510 is sampling to
customers this quarter. For technical specifications on the ARMADA 510,
Software Support
The ARMADA family supports primary operating systems used across consumer
and embedded markets including Microsoft Windows Embedded CE, Windows Mobile,
Google Android, Linux, Maemo, Ubuntu, and China Mobile's OMS. To further
optimize key software frameworks, Marvell provides board packages for
original equipment manufacturer's (OEM) development that support Adobe(R)
Flash(R) technology, Microsoft Silverlight, and Real Video's Real Player.
"With the release of the ARMADA processors, Marvell continues to bring
innovative ARM-based products to the market," said Anup Murarka, Director for
Technology Strategy and Partner Development, Platform Business Unit at Adobe.
"Adobe and Marvell have worked closely together to optimize Flash technology
on the ARMADA architecture and deliver rich multimedia experiences on next
generation mobile devices."
"At Canonical, we have been enormously impressed with what Marvell's
ARMADA 510-based systems can do when running a desktop-class operating system
like Ubuntu," said Chris Kenyon, Vice President, OEM services at Canonical.
"The ARM ecosystem is using ARMADA 510 because of its outstanding display
resolution, performance, hardware multimedia, and large memory support. We
believe users will love where this takes Ubuntu in terms of quality, price,
and range of device availability."
To help OEMs focus their efforts on developing differentiated products at
the interface and application levels, Marvell provides complete, robust
systems-on-chip (SoCs) that combine optimized audio/video codecs and
extensive use of open standards with full hardware and software integration
to other critical platform elements such as Marvell Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/FM radio
devices. In addition to the ARMADA 100 series featuring full compatibility
with previous Marvell application processors, all of the ARMADA processors
feature integrated Wireless MMX2 (WMMX2) coprocessors for full-feature
multimedia experience. ARMADA processor-based development and reference
systems are available for all of the major market segments, shortening
crucial time-to-market for device manufacturers.
Select customers are already sampling ARMADA processors; devices
incorporating these chips are expected to be consumer ready by early 2010.
About Marvell
Marvell (NASDAQ: MRVL) is a world leader in the development of storage,
communications, and consumer silicon solutions. The company's diverse product
portfolio includes switching, transceiver, communications controller,
wireless, and storage solutions that power the entire communications
infrastructure including enterprise, metro, home, and storage networking. As
used in this release, the terms "company" and "Marvell" refer to Marvell
Technology Group Ltd. and its subsidiaries. For more information, visit
Marvell(R) and the Marvell logo are registered trademarks of Marvell or
its affiliates. ARMADA is a trademark of Marvell or its affiliates. Other
names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.
For Further Information Contact:
Marvell Media Relations Marvell Media Relations
Diane Vanasse Tate Tran
Tel: (408) 222-5198 Tel: (408) 222-7522
tate@marvell.com dvanasse@marvell.com
PRESS RELEASE ADDENDUM
Marvell(R) ARMADA(TM) Family Technical Specifications
ARMADA 100
The ARMADA 100 series delivers strong performance at mass market price
points for cost sensitive consumer and embedded markets such as digital
picture frames, e-readers, multifunction printer user interface (UI)
displays, portable navigation devices (PNDs), interactive VoIP phones, IP
surveillance cameras, and home control gadgets. Key features include up to
1.2 GHz operation, 24-bit WUXGA LCD support, built in display controller, 2D
graphics hardware acceleration and consumer/embedded oriented I/Os (PCIe,
Ethernet, USB 2.0, SDIO, 5-in-1 card reader, DDR2/LPDDR1, and more).
About ARMADA 500
The ARMADA 500 series is designed for high performance consumer devices
such as smartbooks. Alongside the ARMADA 600 processor family, the ARMADA 500
series is one of the industry's first running ARM v7 instruction set. Key
features include ARM v7 CPU core running up to 1.2 GHz, vector floating point
(VFP) v3 and 512KB L2 cache, 1080p video decode, 15 MT/s 3D graphics, WUXGA
LCD resolution support, security acceleration and consumer/embedded oriented
I/Os (PCIe, Gigabit Ethernet, USB 2.0, SDIO, DDR3, and SATA).
About ARMADA 600
The ARMADA 600 series brings high performance to compact form factors,
such as smartphones and embedded mobile devices. Alongside the ARMADA 500
processor family, it is one of the industry's first running ARM v7
instruction set. Key features include a CPU core running up to 1 GHz, ultra
low power, VFP v3 and 256KB L2 cache.
About ARMADA 1000
The ARMADA 1000 series allows manufacturers to enable a new generation of
compelling connected home entertainment products, including Blu-ray players,
Digital Media Adapters (DMAs), connected digital TVs, and certain types of
streaming HD Set-Top-Boxes (STBs). Key features include dual CPU cores
running up to 1.2 GHz, low power design, dual full-HD decode , high
performance audio DSP, 2x32 DDR2 controllers (up to 800 Mbit/s), high
performance graphics acceleration, a robust security subsystem including a
secure execution processor and a set of peripherals (USB 2.0, SDIO, Ethernet,
PCIe, SATA, HDMI, and more).
Technical Specifications
The ARMADA SoCs also leverage several of Marvell's key technologies:
- Scalable CPU core frequency and voltage for power-efficient operation
- Tightly coupled DRAM controllers for low latency CPU access while
supporting balanced I/O throughput
- Hardware video acceleration to offer up to 1080p encode and decode
- 3D graphics acceleration at up to 45 million triangles per second
(MT/s)
- Suite of award-winning Qdeo video technology
- Wide flexibility in I/Os spanning mobile devices (MIPI
DSI/CSI/HSI/SlimBus, mobile DDR), consumer/embedded devices (PCIe,
Ethernet, SATA, 5-in-1 card reader, desktop DDR) and generic (SDIO,
eMMC, USB 2.0, parallel, and more)
SOURCE Marvell
CONTACT: Diane Vanasse, +1-408-222-5198, dvanasse@marvell.com, or Tate
Tran, +1-408-222-7522, tate@marvell.com, both of Marvell Media Relations