ST-Ericsson smartphone FD-SOI processor platform is fast and cool
At the CES conference in Las Vegas, ST-Ericsson claimed it has developed the world's fastest and lowest-power integrated LTE smartphone platform.
The NovaThor L8580 ModAp is a multimode LTE-enabled integrated smartphone platform that includes a full connectivity suite and features an eQuad-powered application processor running at up to 2.5Ghz.
The NovaThor L8580 will be available to sample in Q1 2013.
"At ST-Ericsson we are focused on delivering the best experience for the smartphone users of today. With eQuad we have chosen to innovate where it most benefits the use by making real world applications run significantly faster while at the same time ensuring ultra-low power consumption for devices that run cooler and last longer," says Didier Lamouche, President and CEO of ST-Ericsson.
"Building on the architecture of our first generation NovaThor L8540 LTE ModAp announced last year, we believe our new platform represents a real industry breakthrough. It combines the most advanced technologies available, including STMicroelectronics' innovative 28nm FD-SOI process, to create an unrivalled blend of unsurpassed performance with unequalled power efficiency in an advanced LTE integrated ModAp."
The NovaThor L8580 integrates an eQuad 2.5GHz processor based on ARM Cortex-A9, a powerful Imagination PowerVR SGX544 GPU running at 600Mhz and an advanced multimode LTE modem on a single 28nm FD-SOI die.
Building on the NovaThor L8540, the NovaThor L8580 highlights the advantages of FD-SOI technology combined with innovative techniques to increase performance and conserve power.
The advantages of the NovaThor L8580 include CPUs that run 35 percent faster while GPU and multimedia accelerators run 20 percent faster. The device also has cooler operation when delivering high performance, consuming 25 percent less power than rival architectures. The low power mode can deliver up to 5000 DMIPS at 0.6V "“ more than enough computing power for the majority of applications in everyday use. This low power mode consumes 50 percent less power to deliver the same performance compared with alternative solutions in bulk CMOS.
"As committed 10 months ago, ST"“Ericsson is demonstrating the disruptive nature of FD-SOI technology for the mobile market. The creative combination of the key technology ingredients - FD-SOI, ultra thin active and isolation layers and innovative double-gate vertical transistors enabling smart body biasing - delivers the response the mobile industry needs in terms of higher performance, extreme power efficiency and technology robustnesss. The results we see on our NovaThor L8580 confirm the disruptive nature of FD-SOI technology and next generations of high performance LTE platforms will be able to fully benefit from our breakthrough technology and designs." continues Lamouche.
The NovaThor L8580 supports up to ten LTE/HSPA/TD-SCDMA/GSM bands in a flexible and compact radio solution, addressing the need for a cost effective solution for widespread global adoption of LTE smartphones. The NovaThor L8580 integrates an advanced next generation multimode LTE modem with support for 3GPP Release 10 with LTE up to Category 4 (150Mbps).
The NovaThor L8580 will also deliver multimedia performance, supporting 1080p video encoding and playback at up to 60 frames per second, 1080p 3D camcorder functionality, support for displays up to WUXGA (1920x1200) at 60 frames per second and support for cameras up to 20 megapixels.
The complete platform includes pre-integrated connectivity with support for Bluetooth™, GNSS (GPS+ GLONASS), FM, WLAN, WiFi Direct, Miracast and NFC. With ST-Ericsson's connectivity solutions, CG2905 and CW1260, the platform comes optimised for wireless radio co-existence and low power consumption.
The NovaThor L8580 is scheduled to sample to customers this quarter.
ST-Ericsson's eQuad technology is a CPU architecture in which each processor core can operate efficiently in two modes: as an industry-leading high performance core, running at up to 2.5Ghz in the case of the NovaThor L8580, or as a very low-power core running at 0.6V.
This is achieved by transistor-level electrical bias switching to allow each of two physical cores to run in two different modes, creating an electrically-enabled quad core. The architecture "“ built on STMicroelectronics' advanced 28nm FD-SOI process technology "“ delivers a faster and cooler experience for today's applications and does not require the specialized low power cores often used in alternative multi-core CPU architectures.
The NovaThor family combines advanced application processing, a high-speed mobile broadband modem and a full connectivity suite in a complete platform. The first generation NovaThor U8500 is in mass production in multiple device since early 2012 and second generation L8540 has been sampling to customers since Q4 2012.
With an extremely high level of software and hardware compatibility between the generations, customers will be able to quickly bring NovaThor L8540 and L8580-based devices to market.
