ST-Ericsson and ARM have re-affirmed their ongoing joint development to optimise Android to take advantage of Symmetric Multi Processing (SMP) when executing on the high-performance and power-efficient ST-Ericsson U8500 platform, which uses a dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore processor. This next-generation platform improves the multitasking capability and peak performance of Android handsets, while maintaining the lowest power consumption profile.
Support for SMP within Android will enable the next level of performance and capabilities for Android handsets. This includes combining access to rich web content and multimedia, the latest location-based services and social networking, and a compelling user interface.
Consumer demand for advanced multimedia applications is putting unprecedented pressure on the battery life of devices. ARM MPCore technology offers improvements over the multicore architectures which are now widely used by enabling power management techniques that significantly reduce dynamic and static power consumption. The results of the ST-Ericsson and ARM collaboration will be fed back into the Android Open Source community for all to use.
According to Ronan de Renesse, senior analyst, head of Mobile Media, Screen Digest, "Revenues from mobile data services and applications are set to double in the next four years and are expected to reach Euro 100bn. For the market to reach its full potential, new mobile devices must become more versatile. With Web browsing being the most popular application on smartphones, it is also therefore critical for manufacturers to offer the best browsing experience."
By optimising Android for SMP on the Cortex-A9 MPCore processor, ST-Ericsson and ARM will help device manufacturers meet the growing demand for advanced smartphones with the cost and power consumption characteristics of a traditional feature phone.
Among the very first chipsets to integrate the ARM multicore Cortex-A9 MPCore application processor and Mali-400 graphic processor, ST-Ericsson's U8500 platform can provide peak application performance while also being able to support 120 hours of audio playback or 12 hours of full HD video playback on one battery charge.
Commenting on the collaboration Teppo Hemia, Vice President, 3G Multimedia Platforms Business Unit of ST-Ericsson said, "Our work with ARM will accelerate the shift of Android and the mobile industry to advanced multicore processors, significantly improving performance scalability while maintaining low levels of power consumption."
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