Austin, Texas, and Santa Barbara, Calif., USA: An new alliance between Freescale Semiconductor and Green Hills Software will explore the expanding role of system virtualisation technology in ARM-based embedded and mobile applications. The initiative’s intent is to enable intelligent and dynamic use models; reduce device development and production costs; and improve reliability, safety, and security.
Green Hills Software, a vendor of embedded software solutions, specialises in embedded and mobile virtualisation and security technology. Freescale is an applications processor vendor for a wide range of markets.
Freescale’s i.MX 6 family of application processors provides ARM Cortex-A9-based solutions in single-, dual- and four-core versions for consumer, industrial, and automotive markets. Specifically, the i.MX 6Quad device is claimed as the industry’s only low-power, four-core applications processor based on Cortex-A9 technology to integrate a full 64-bit memory bus.
The i.MX processors feature silicon-level optimisations to support virtualisation performance. Their multiple graphic engines enable dedicated hardware acceleration for multiple virtual domains. Other i.MX virtualisation optimisations include the incorporation of TrustZone technology, cryptographic/hashing hardware accelerators, and trusted boot and secure storage technologies—all of which combine with the Green Hills’ Integrity Multivisor technology.