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ARM is seeing favorable results again in its quarterly results, continuing on from the rising revenues of the last quarter. The financials for the first quarter of 2013 show revenues rising year-on-year by 26 percent to £170.3 million ($263.9 million), while pre-tax profits earned the company £89.4 million ($136 million), a 44-percent increase compared to Q1 2012.
Mozilla and Samsung will be collaborating on an "advanced technology Web browser engine." Servo will be the two company's attempt at rebuilding a web browser that works with modern hardware in mind, with the initial construction efforts of the browser engine focussed on Android and ARM-based systems.
ARM and TSMC have jointly announced that they have collaborated on the first tape out of ARM’s Cortex-A57 CPU based on its next-generation 64-bit ARMv8 mobile architecture. The new chip design will be ARM’s highest performing chip to date and is targeted for use in tablets, high-end computers and servers. The Cortex-A57 was fabricated on TSMC’s FinFET 16nm process, which gets its name from the tiny fish fin shape of its transistors.
The Chief Executive Officer of ARM will be stepping down from his position in the company on the first of July, in order to enter retirement. Warren East will relinquish his role after 19 years at the company, nearly twelve of those as CEO, and is set to be replaced by the current President of ARM, Simon Segars.
Intel has been in discussions with Apple to fabricate its ARM-based A-series designs, reports Reuters. Executives from the two companies have been investigating the possibility of a contract manufacturing deal that would get Intel into the mobile space, while helping Apple extricate itself from its ties with Samsung. The report follows a similar rumor that first surfaced in mid-2012, which suggested that Intel was targeting Apple’s mobile chip business, albeit with its own x86-based designs.
Processor designer ARM has revealed pre-tax profits have risen 16-percent in the fourth quarter of 2012, compared to the same period the year before. The rise sees the company earning £80 million ($126 million) from revenues of £164.2 million ($262.8 million), itself up by 21-percent from the £137.8 million ($217 million) in Q4 2011.
China-based Hisense has introduced its own range of connected, Ultra High-Definition (no longer officially and technically referred to as 4K) TVs, with the XT880 range. The 50-, 58-, and 65-inch sets all sport 3,840x2,160 resolution and get a number of so-called 'Smart' features such as Wi-Fi for web access and an Android 4.0-based operating system. The remote control will allow users to issue voice commands, while a removable camera will allow for face recognition, gesture control, and video chats over Skype.
ARM today announced a new processor series based on the ARMv8 architecture, the Cortex-A50. The new series will initially include the Cortex-A53 and Cortex-A57 processors, and it will bring to bear energy-efficient technologies enabling 64-bit processing in mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. ARM says the new designs should enable performance up to three times that seen in today's "superphones" while consuming a comparable level of power.
The A6 processor Apple showed off yesterday in revealing the iPhone 5 is said by some analysts to be a Samsung-produced dual-core Cortex-A15. EETimes cites analysts at Nomura Equity Research in claiming that the device was manufactured using Samsung's 32-nm HKMG process, making Apple among the first device manufacturers to introduce a processor based on ARM's low-power Cortex-A15 design, which was introduced two years ago.
Global Foundries, a contract chipmaker, has signed a multi-year agreement with mobile chipmaker ARM to produce its next-generation mobile system-on-chip (SoC) processors. The factories are equipped to build 20nm and FinFET process technologies. The deal also calls on ARM developing its Artisan Physical IP platform, including cell libraries, memory compilers and POP IP solutions.
Samsung has published a white paper (pdf) outlining the technical details and product highlights of its next-generation mobile processor. The new Exynos 5 Dualseries of mobile processors will be clocked at 1.7GHz and have been manufactured on Samsung's 32nm process using its High-K Metal Gate method. Underpinning the design is ARM's Cortex A-15 architecture, which will pit Samsung's latest chip directly against Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 'Krait' processors.
Jim Keller, a veteran chip designer who started with Digital Equipment Corporation's Alpha processor before eventually starting P.A. Semi and subsequently joining Apple, has left the company to join Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). Keller will help lead the company in an effort to develop lower-power but more-efficient processors based on the ARM design, similar to the work he did with P.A. Semi and Apple. AMD recently noted it was now licensing ARM's processor designs.
ARM Holdings defied the flat technology sector by pushing past analysts estimates in returning a 23 percent pre-tax profit of $103 million for the second quartert. According to Reuters, ARM out grew the industry as demand for mobile chips based on the Cambridge company's designs continues to increase. Despite forecast warnings issued by Intel and ARM partner Qualcomm in recent weeks, ARM maintains that it is on track to meet its forecast for the full fiscal year.
Notorious source DigiTimes, citing its usual Chinese manufacturing contacts, claimed that Apple's next-generation iPhone will be powered by a quad-core ARM processor based off of Samsung's Exynos 4 architecture. Other details, such as clock speed, or graphics processor technologies, were not provided. Analysts expect that Apple's move to a quad-core chip is necessary to keep them ahead in the smart phone arms race.
AMD has confirmed plans to license ARM technology for chipsets in upcoming 'ultrathin' notebooks. The company is stopping short of replacing its x86-based CPU and GPU components, however, as an ARM Cortex-A5 chip will serve as an independent core tasked with running applications in a secure environment via ARM's Trustzone technology.
Italy's LiquidTv has just introduced a new dongle that promises to bring not only web access but Android 4.0 to HDTVs equipped with an HDMI port. The product is called SmartKey TV and houses a 1GHz ARM Cortex A9 CPU, Mali 400MP GPU, and 512MB of RAM. The 4GB of onboard storage is supplemented by a microSDHC memory card slot.
HTC is said to be frozen out of the introductory phase of Microsoft's forthcoming Windows RT software. Sources familiar with interactions between the two companies tell Bloomberg that Microsoft has locked HTC out from making any tablet devices featuring Windows 8, though the manufacturer could be included in a later wave of device releases next year. Microsoft has maintained tight control over the number of ARM-based devices it is supporting at launch, and the HTC denial is said to be based in part on a disagreement between the two companies on whether or not a proposed HTC device's interface could be customized.
An ARM chip-based Google TV box from Taiwan's Honeywld Technology running on Android 4.0 has the ability to stream media files from portable Android 4.0 devices. In this regard, it's similar to Apple's AirPlay technology that can stream videos and music from iPhones and iPads through the Apple TV to HDTVs. What's more, the box will have the ability to synchronize photos, IDG reported from the Computex trade show in Taipei.
A major manufacturer and Windows partner has criticized Mirosoft's new mobile-oriented OS variant WindowsRT, otherwise known as Windows-on-ARM. The option is meant to bring Microsoft's operating system to the low-powered processors that power many of the most popular mobile devices, but Acer has leveled complaints about Windows-on-ARM, and ARM-processor models are missing from the manufacturer's Windows 8 product line. DailyTech reports that the computer maker is simply dissatisfied with the possibilities of Microsoft's ARM offering, and will not be supporting it from the hardware end.
Asus is bringing out two versions of the Transformer tablet running Windows 8. The Tablet 600 will be an ARM-based Windows 8 RT device, while the Tablet 810 integrates an Intel processor to power a full version of Windows 8. Both tablets will have a RAM boost compared to their Android-based counterparts, but will retain the mobile dock that converts them into small notebooks.
During his talk with Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher at today's "All Things D" conference, Apple CEO Tim Cook defending the company's China-heavy manufacturing of its most popular product, the iPhone. Cook said that even in its current version, the back of the iPhone could add "several parts of the US" to its "Made in China" label, pointing to ARM chip manufacturing and the Gorilla Glass used for the screen.
ARM's CEO expects computers powered by the company's processors to hold 10 to 20 percent of the notebook PC market by 2015. Speaking with The Wall Street Journal, Warren East said (sub. required) he expects that ARM will have a bigger impact on the PC market than competitor Intel will have as it attempts to enter the smartphone market.
The Mozilla Foundation, maker of the Firefox web browser, is calling out Microsoft for anticompetitive practices with regard to browser capabilities on the upcoming Windows RT. In a blog post, Mozilla's General Counsel Harvey Anderson takes Microsoft to task for programming decisions that will limit the power and feature set of non-Internet Explorer browsers in the next version of Windows.
Chinese government officials are in the process of attempting to define a national processor architecture standard. If successful, the standard, which EE Times contends might emerge in the next few months, could dramatically alter computing in the world's largest country, and the ripple effects could change the way international companies do business in China.
Samsung on Wednesday ended one of the largest rumors surrounding the new Galaxy S with news of its main processor. The Exynos 4 Quad carries a namesake four ARM Cortex-A9 cores and is made on a newer, smaller 32 nanometer process. Although it clocks in at the same 1.4GHz as in newer Samsung phones, it's roughly twice as powerful while using 20 percent less power, the company claimed.
The market for embedded processors could grow to ten times the size of the market for mobile device chips, according to ARM CEO Warren East. In an interview with Mobile World Live, East indicated that while mobile devices remain a profitable sector for the company, ARM has its eye on getting its components into a much wider array of products.
Samsung's GT-i9300, possibly the third-generation Galaxy, has had its performance leaked through inadvertent postings to GLBenchmark. The 3D tests caught by a Phone Arena reader show that the quad-core Exynos 4412 chip in the device looks to beat any existing Android phone, and likely the iPhone 4S, by a wide margin. In the common-use Egypt test, the i9300 would be roughly a third faster than the similarly quad-core Tegra 3 in the international HTC One X and three times faster than Samsung's own Galaxy S II.
Samsung's May 3 event was spoiled in conspicuous fashion on Friday after Vietnam's Tinhte briefly posted (since pulled) a detailed look at what's now very likely to be the Galaxy S III. Previously seen earlier as the GT-i9300, the hardware appears to have roughly the physical footprint of the Galaxy S II but with a taller, 4.6-inch, 720p screen that uses Android 4.0's onscreen controls. A quad-core 1.4GHz chip (likely the Exynos 4412) makes it clear the device is high-end.
Following launch secrecy details, a second leak Wednesday has dropped hints that the Galaxy S III, or whatever the device is named, may be a breakthrough in speed. The same source for The Verge as earlier said it would use the rumored quad-core chip, likely the Exynos 4412, and deliver "superlative benchmark performance." The part isn't confirmed, but it's likely to be identical to the Samsung chip in the Meizu MX Quad-core, which could be 60 percent faster than the dual-core MX.
Taiwan-area contract manufacturers claimed Wednesday that Intel and Microsoft have ambitious aims of reducing the iPad's dominance of tablets. The Digitimes contacts understood the Wintel combination wanted the iPad down from 70 percent share, as it has had in the past, to under 50 percent by mid-2013. For Intel, Lenovo's strength in its native China would be a key factor.
Intel CEO Paul Otellini during a call discussing his company's latest results revealed that the first phone with one of its company's processors would at last be shipping this week. The executive didn't name the specific phone, but it may be the Lenovo K800, which had originally been promised for May. Other candidates could include the Orange Santa Clara or its near-identical cousin, the Lava Xolo X900.
ARM on Tuesday rolled out a unique variant on the Cortex-A15 designed to bring the next-generation chip to shelves faster and with less power use. A new hard macro variant that has fixed specifications, including quad cores clocked at 2GHz based on a 28 nanometer TSMC-made (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) design, instead of the "soft core" that lets firms heavily customize an ARM design to their own ends. In return, however, it's both faster to implement and uses the same power as the earlier Cortex-A9.
Intel's Developer Forum in Beijing has slipped out a new set of guidelines for Intel-based Windows 8 tablets. The chip designer wants tablets based on its Atom Z2760 chip to largely fit in with a 10-inch, touch-only tablet or a 11-inch version with a keyboard, CNET saw in its copy of the hardware advice. All of the dimensions would be targeted at matching or beating the iPad, with weight under 1.5 pounds, thicknesses below 0.35 inches, and over none hours of at least theoretical battery life.
A new rumor Monday has shown that Apple might be examining the effect of the A5X chip in an iPhone. The 9to5 claim has a version of the new iPad's chip was reportedly sitting in the existing iPhone 4S body as a test mule. The design, codenamed N96, reportedly has the same 1GB of RAM, although no mentions were made of what might be different.
More details of NVIDIA's Tegra 4 have emerged that could point to as much of a leap in speed as with the last generation. Possible leaks from VR-Zone have shown the line keeping the "4-plus-1" quad-core design but jumping to the much newer ARM Cortex-A15 architecture inside, which should give it a leap in speed at the same clock speed. The clock speeds themselves should climb from 1.5GHz to 2GHz to give it brute force improvements.
Mobile device chipmaker ARM on Tuesday revealed it has partnered with smart card maker Gemalto and German tech firm Giesecke & Devrient to boost smartphone and tablet security on platforms like Android. The idea is to help speed up the development of a security standard for all devices that takes hardware and software into account. The standard could be used by parties such as banks for secure wireless payments (such as Google Wallet) as well as studios and other providers of video-on-demand content.
Samsung's chip manufacturing plant in Austin has raised attention for hiring a significant number of long-time AMD staff who have focused primarily on servers. Newly transitioned Opteron VP Pat Patla, but also VP and Chief Engineer Jim Mergard and Senior Fellow Brad Burgess, have all left in the past year. The plant is already being run by Keith Hawkins (no direct link), who used to work at Sun.
French paper Les Echos has revealed that Sony will begin selling Google TV-powered hardware as early as September, marking the platform's debut overseas. Sony France marketing director Stephane Labrousse reportedly said the company will sell a set top box for about 200 euros (about $266) and a Blu-ray player that has Google TV integrated for 300 euros (about $400), both of which were on display at CES. The division lead went on to say the platform may also come to Spain, Germany, and the UK at the same time.
Qualcomm senior VP Rob Chandhok in discussion Friday made clear that the quad-core version of the Snapdragon S4 would be destined for Windows 8 notebooks. Confirming that ARM wouldn't be confined to tablets for Windows 8, Chandhok told IDG that he expected them to show up Intel's ultrabook concept with thinner designs and longer battery life. They would share the 28 nanometer process behind the dual-core versions, but the extra power would make them more viable for games and more complex apps as the software underwent an "maturation."
Apparent new leaks have hinted that NVIDIA's next-generation Tegra, for now called the Tegra 4, should be a generational leap. The future 28 nanometer chip was said by VR-Zone's tips to be getting GPGPU support to use its graphics core for boosting CUDA, OpenCL, and other general-purpose tasks. The simple addition would hint at a graphics core multiple generations newer than what's in the Tegra 3, which dates back to the 2006-era PlayStation 3.
BlueStacks' App Player was posted as a beta on Tuesday with significant expansion over the earlier alpha. The Android-on-Windows emulator's compatibility is now much wider and will recognize games like Angry Birds Space that would normally talk directly to an ARM chip. OS support is wider as well, expanding from just Windows 7 to either as far back as Windows XP or as recent as the Windows 8 Consumer Preview.
Intel has managed to not only hold on to but widen its lead as the world's largest chip designer in the past year, iSuppli determined Monday. By revenue, Intel had seen its revenue in 2011 go up over 20 percent to $48.7 billion dollars despite the effect of the iPad and other tablets. ARM's champion, Samsung, had moved just over half a point to $28.6 billion.
A new discovery within Chromium OS bug tracking has suggested that Chrome OS is not only close to using ARM but may use one of its fastest processors. Thomas Taschauer has spotted numerous references to "Daisy," an unknown device that would use Samsung's Exynos 5250. The 2GHz, ARM Cortex-A15-based chip could both significantly improve battery life and thinness while making a Chrome OS device as fast or faster than current Intel Atom Chromebooks.
Intel through a combination of a Linux driver posting by its own engineer Jesse Barnes, as well as roadmap presentations by Advantech PPT 1, PPT 2), has given a peek at a major upgrade to the Atom platform due in early 2013. The processor, Valley View, would run on a Balboa Pier chipset and improve both the baseline performance as well as visuals. Chips would carry as many as four cores, and the graphics would be the same as in Ivy Bridge, giving about a fourfold improvement over the existing Cedar View and Cedar Trail platforms.
Microsoft's Windows 8 ARM tablet rollout has had a rough schedule possibly outlined in a rumor late Tuesday. Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, and Lenovo were said by Digitimes' part supplier contacts to be the ones hand-picked for the October release. The Nokia tablet might follow a month later, in November.
A slide leak Monday has unearthed more details about Samsung's Exynos 5250 than what it has shared so far. The SemiAccurate copy shows that the 2GHz, ARM Cortex-A15 performer should also be mated to a much newer Mali-T604 graphics core. With 2.1 gigapixels per second and a wide 12.8GBps memory bandwidth, the T604 should blow past the already fast Mali-400 in the Galaxy S II.
After having touted ARM support, Microsoft is expected to leave it a minority for the fall Windows 8 launch, insiders purportedly disclosed on Monday. There would be "fewer than five" ARM devices, three of which would be tablets, in the understanding of Bloomberg's sources. Over 40 companies were hoping to have Intel-based systems, they said.
India took quick action to address quality gripes with the original Aakash tablet by releasing an upgraded version. The new Android 2.2 model is still made by Datawind but is roughly twice as fast, carrying a 700MHz ARM Cortex-A8 chip. Its much-maligned resistive, seven-inch touchscreen has been replaced with a much more responsive capacitive screen.
(Update 2: more details) Following the new iPad's Australian launch, iFixit has been conducting a teardown of Apple's tablet. The early look so far validate rumors surrounding the design, proving that Samsung is the initial LCD supplier and that a different display connector sits inside that prevents simply swapping in an older screen. Even more so than before, the inside is dominated by the three-unit battery, with the mainboard just a fraction of the inside.
Nokia's design head Marko Ahtisaari confirmed in an interview [full content currently paper-only] that the company was developing a tablet. Without saying what it involved, he promised Kauppalehti Optio that it would be unique in a sea of would-be iPad rivals. The device was important enough that it was consuming a third of Ahtisaari's time.
