Virtualization is Coming to a Platform Near You

Virtualization is Coming to a Platform Near You

The ARM Architecture Virtualization Extensions and the importance of System MMU for virtualized solutions and beyond

Virtualization in the PC and server markets has provided measurable benefits over the last few decades with advanced virtualized server systems now achieving 60% or more capacity utilization with a corresponding ROI of 769%1Virtualization in the mobile and embedded space can similarly enable hardware to run with less memory and fewer chips, reducing BOM3 costs and further increasing energy efficiency 4. Virtualization also helps to address safety and security challenges, and reduces software development and porting costs by man years.

Hardware and software design teams from many of ARM’s leading silicon partners and OEMs are already planning virtualization support into their 2011 design starts – are you?

Implementing efficient virtualized systems cost effectively requires hardware support. In particular memory management can provide great challenges and have severe repercussions on system reliability and performance.

To address this ARM is introducing the Virtualization Extensions to its ARM v7 architecture and the System Memory Management Unit (SMMU) Architecture. This paper examines the rationale behind this, and explores how SMMU will enable vast reductions in software costs and complexity, and at the same time aligning with theARM’s ethos of low power, high performance designs.■