ARM: Cortex-A57/53 processors use ARMv8 architecture

ARM: Cortex-A57/53 processors use ARMv8 architecture

ARM has released the first IP based on its new 64-bit ARMv8 architecture. The Cortex-A57 and Cortex-A53 processor IP are fully compatible with 32-bit ARMv7 software and use updated versions of the same design tools. They offer a fresh and clean approach to low-power 64-bit computing, with evolved 32-bit capabilities. The 64-bit structure supports 4 Gbytes of physical memory, but this is actually achieved in ARMv7’s LPAE extension on Cortex-A15/-A7. However, the new cores and ARMv8 offer a clean implementation with features such as 64-bit pointers for virtual addressing that are critical in server and high-performance desktop applications.

When processor companies bring out devices based on the A57 sometime in 2013, expect to see 50% to 2X performance increase over the Cortex-A15 on 32-bit code and even further speed-up running 64-bit. Tablet computers may run an A57 core, an A53 core, and a Mali GPU core. The processors are said to offer 5x the power-efficiency for tomorrow’s tablets and notebooks. It’s a good bet many (if not all) processor companies are busy right this minute with new designs using the A57/A53.

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