FREMONT, CA: ARM announces the new Cortex-R8 processor which will enable chip designers twice as much the performance of ARM-based modem and mass storage device System on Chips (SoCs).

ARM Cortex-R8 offers low latency, power efficiency and performance required for 5G modems and mass storage devices. Based on a quad-core configuration, the Cortex-R8 comes with real-time features and extended low latency memory.

Mass storage device SoCs based on the Cortex-R8 processors are already in the process of being designed by the silicon partners of ARM.  Modems with the Cortex-R8 processors will support the rollout of new LTE-Advanced Pro and 5G standards. The new Cortex-R8 is compatible with the existing softwares, thus, design cycles will be reduced, allowing developers to extend their real-time product ranges based on a single CPU architecture.

The 5G future

As the LTE-AdvancedPro and 5G standards increase, they are expected to meet the requirements of the ever increasing high data rates, low latency, and a large increase in machine-to-machine and Internet of Things (IoT) communications; these requirements combined with increased carrier aggregation, efficient use of fragmented spectrum, and continued energy efficiency place significant demands on future modems.

The Cortex-R8 based SoCs are able to meet these standards by employing a quad-core CPU configuration, coherency system and rich set of memory and peripheral interfaces. Cortex-R8 delivers the scalable performance, low power, fast and highly deterministic interrupt response times and extremely low-latency interfaces which will be required in all future mobile broadband devices.

Next Generation Data Storage

The Cortex-R8 provides mass storage controller developers with the performance, capability and efficiency vital for higher capacity and faster data rates in hard and solid state drives across enterprise and consumer storage solutions. Cortex-R8 enables this in a highly efficient way by dynamically scaling performance as workload changes.

“5G will revolutionize mobile communications as it delivers the ability to significantly increase data rates, offering a far better mobile experience," says James McNiven, general manager, CPU Group, ARM. "The Cortex-R8 is the most powerful real-time CPU available and its unrivalled performance will make it instrumental in the creation of 5G modems. It will form the communications heart of future smartphones, tablets, connected cars and IoT."