LinkUp Systems Corp, a San Jose, California-based system-on-silicon firm, is working with LG Semicon Co on a version of the ARM chip optimized for Windows CE. The first chip to result from the alliance, the L7200, includes an ARM 720T processor core with 8Kbyte cache, write buffer and memory management unit, along with several integrated AMBA (Advanced Microcontroller Bus Architecture) peripherals. LG Semicon will fabricate the part in 0.35 micron process technology and LinkUp will sell it into the internet device market. No timescales were given. The chip will also run other operating systems, LinkUp said.
LG is a member of the recently formed ARM Consortium for Windows CE, whose other members include Cirrus Logic, Intel Corp, Samsung Electric Co and Texas Instruments Inc (CI No 3,590). The consortium hopes to promote CE applications for the ARM architecture in the portable, multimedia, automotive and vertical embedded markets. ARM has been working closely with Microsoft for some time to develop a range of processors to run CE. LinkUp has its own port of CE for the ARM chip, and also supplies StrongARM SA-1100 support chips to Intel.
Simultaneously with the announcement, Intel revealed that it had made an investment in LinkUp of an undisclosed amount, and that it was collaborating with LinkUp on the development of a StrongARM ôcompanionö chip that will be used in the mini notebook market. Companion chips access the host processor through the system bus with no glue logic, and are a quicker method of extending functionality than the ideal full-scale integration on a single chip. IntelÆs first StrongArm companion chip, the SA-1101, was launched last year and used by Hewlett-Packard Co for the Jornada handheld system.
