Marvell Launches Armada -- New Application Processors For Next Generation Mobile Computing And Intel

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20th October 2009, 03:47am - Views: 825





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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.


    (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091019/SF94412-a)

    (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091019/SF94412-b)

    (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070411/SFW034LOGO)


    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

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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,

please visit www.marvell.com.


    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.

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    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).

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    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




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