NXP Semiconductors has taken a licence for the ARM Cortex-M3 processor.
NXP said it will introduce a new family of microcontrollers based on the ARM Cortex-M3 processor starting in 2008, this expanding its existing range of ARM7 and ARM9 family-based MCUs.
As part of the agreement, NXP will also have access to all ARM Cortex family processors, including the recently announced Cortex-A9 MPCore multicore processor and the ARM Mali family of graphics processing units (GPUs).
“The strategic agreement between NXP and ARM underscores a shared vision of how 32-bit processors are fundamentally changing advanced digital products – from mobile phones, portable media players, TVs and set-top boxes, to identification applications, cars and a wide range of other electronic devices,” said René Penning de Vries, senior v-p and chief technology officer, NXP Semiconductors.
The new MCUs will target a wide range of applications including consumer, industrial, medical and automotive systems.
The NXP microcontroller family based on the Cortex-M3 processor will be pin-compatible with, and offered in addition to its ARM7 and ARM9 family-based microcontrollers. Further, the new microcontrollers from NXP will be supported by a strong ecosystem of tools providers such as Keil, Embedded Artists, and many others.
“The introduction of a new family of NXP microcontrollers based on the ARM Cortex-M3 processor will be a major milestone in 2008,” said Geoff Lees, v-p, microcontroller product line, NXP Semiconductors.