EETimes is reporting today that a PDF from Samsung Electronics has inadvertently publicized the company’s future plans for processors built on the ARM ISA.
Previously codenamed Taurus, the document shows that the company is already sampling a single-core Cortex-A8 CPU design known as the S5PV210. That chip should be ready for mass production by the third quarter of this year, the document says.
- Aquila: A 1.2GHz Cortex-A9 quad core scheduled for mass production in 2012/2013
- Draco: A 1.2GHz Cortex-A9 dual core scheduled for mass production in 2012/2013
- Orion: An 800MHz Cortex-A9 dual core scheduled for mass production in 1Q11.
- Hercules: A 1GHz Cortex-A9 dual core scheduled for mass production in 1Q12.
- Pegasus: A 1GHz single core Cortex-A9 scheduled for mass production in 4Q11.
- Mercury: A 600MHz single core Cortex-A5 scheduled for mass production in 2012/2013.
- Venus: A 600MHz single core Cortex-A5 scheduled for mass production in 2012/2013.
The document does not specify the GPU that will be integrated with these processors when forming the final SoC for use in a mobile device. Designs such as the PowerVR SGX or the ARM Mali are viable options, and will ultimately dictate the apparent performance offered by products based on these chips.
Reality check
The Cortex-A8, Cortex-A9 and similar chips are where it’s at when it comes to high-performance mobile devices. Devices like the Nexus One, the iPad and the Boxee Box all run chips that more or less follow these designs.
However, as EETimes notes in their piece, this roadmap is extremely conservative with respect to the current state of the industry. As an example, EETimes cites Marvell’s relatively recent development of a quad core ARM chip that’s similar in design to the Cortex-A9.
Other companies, too, are already ahead of Samsung’s schedule with aggressive ARM designs. Qualcomm plans to upgrade its range of Snapdragon SoCs with the QSD8672, a 1.5GHz dual core, by the end of this year. Texas Instruments is also preparing the OMAP4440, a 1GHz+ dual core Cortex-A9 SoC.
A more present example might be the 1GHz Apple A4 SoC found in the iPad, which many believe to be a Cortex-A9 chip, or something quite similar. According to the document, however, Samsung won’t have a comparable product until the first quarter of 2012.
Given that this roadmap was published in late 2009, it’s possible that much has changed, as things often do in the world of semiconductors. Dates get pulled up, dates get pushed back, products get canceled–it happens all the time.
Whatever the schedule Samsung might be following now, it’s an exciting time for mobile devices. Texas Instruments, Qualcomm, Marvell, NVIDIA, Samsung and Freescale are all touting robust ARM designs that are capable of pounding out 1080p video without breaking a sweat.
If you thought the Intel/AMD CPU war circa 2000 was white hot, just wait until you get a load of the next two years. Mobile computing is about to take off in a big, big way.
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