Dialog licenses Cortex-M0, moves ARM into PMICs

LONDON – Dialog Semiconductor plc has said it has licensed the Cortex-M0 microcontroller core from ARM Holdings plc for use in future mixed-signal power management ICs. Resulting chips are likely to be used in quad-core and more advanced handsets the company said.

This is the first time a standard 32-bit processor core has been integrated into a mixed-signal PMIC, according to Dialog (Kirchheim-unter-Teck, Germany).

The ARM Cortex-M0 processor is the smallest and lowest power ARM core available. It is described as suitable for ultra low power MCU and mixed-signal applications.

"Through partnering with Dialog we have opened a brand new application area for ARM processors in a smartphone or tablet design. Dialog is at the forefront of highly integrated power management systems. I am convinced that the availability of sophisticated ARM processor-based PMICs will make a real impact on the user experience delivered by next generation devices," said Tudor Brown, president of ARM, in a statement issued by Dialog.


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