Samsung's ARM roadmap leads to quad-core 'Aquila'

LONDON — A roadmap document from Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. shows the company working on a series of ARM-based processors designed to power future netbook computers.

The document (samsungapforcomputing.pdf), dated November 2009, begins with the premise that Intel-plus-Microsoft Windows platforms will be replaced over time with Samsung-plus-Chrome, Ubuntu platforms.

The document shows the S5PV210, previously known as Taurus and based on a single 1-GHz Cortex-A8, core as the starting point. That chip is sampling now and should be in mass production by 3Q10, according to the document.

However, the roadmap becomes less certain and more conservative further out. It has the first arrival of a quad-core device based on the Cortex-A9 not scheduled before 2012/2013. Back in January 2010 Marvell Technology Group Ltd., a supplier of chips for storage, communications and consumer electronics, claimed to have developed the world's first quad-core processor based on the ARM architecture. The company did not say when the chip would be in mass prodution.

Orion is an 800-MHz Cortex-A9 dual-core processor due to sample in 3Q10 and enter mass production in 1Q11.

Pegasus is a 1-GHz Cortex-A9, single-core sampling in 2Q11 and entering mass production in 4Q11.

Hercules is a 1-GHz dual-core Cortex-A9 sampling in 3Q11 and set for mass production in 1Q12.

Mercury is a 600-MHz single-core Cortex-A5 (Sparrow) due in 2010/11.

Venus is a 600-MHz Cortex-A5 dual-core processor due in 2012/13.

Draco is a 1.2-GHz Cortex-A9 dual-core slated to arrive 2012/13.

And Aquila is a 1.2-GHz Cortex-A9 quad-core also expected in 2012/13.

The document does not identify the graphics processor unit integrated alongside the various ARM cores. Samsung has the option to stick with the PowerVR series of graphics core, from graphics core licensor Imagination Technologies Group plc (Kings Langley, England), which it has used for many years. However, Samsung announced in February 2010, that it would adopt the Mali graphics processor architecture from ARM for its future graphics-enabled system-on-chip (SoC) ICs as well as for its ASIC and foundry businesses.

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