Intel to Fab 64-bit ARM Chips for Altera
If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!
During the ARM TechCon 2013 conference last week, Altera revealed that its ARM-based 64-bit chips will be manufactured using Intel's 14 nm Tri-Gate process starting in late 2014. The chip will incorporate a high-performance, quad-core 64-bit ARM Cortex-A53 processor system, floating-point digital signal processing (DSP) blocks and high-performance FPGA fabric.
"The ARM Cortex-A53 processor, the first 64-bit processor used on a SoC FPGA, is an ideal fit for use in Stratix 10 SoCs due to its performance, power efficiency, data throughput and advanced features," reads the company's press release. "Leveraging Intel's 14 nm Tri-Gate process and an enhanced high-performance architecture, Altera Stratix 10 SoCs will have a programmable-logic performance level of more than 1GHz; two times the core performance of current high-end 28 nm FPGAs."
This will be a three-pronged move for Intel: it's a new stream of revenue in a declining PC market; a way to compete with other foundries like TSMC, GlobalFoundries, Samsung and others; and to somehow break ARM's "supremacy" in the mobile market. "It's huge. Imagine ARM's most powerful and technologically advanced 64-bit processor built on Intel's leading-edge fabs. A duo that will be hard to beat," said Nathan Brookwood, principal analyst at Insight 64, while speaking with Forbes.
Building Altera's 64-bit chip will also open the door for Intel to fab SoCs for competing ARM-based chip suppliers like Nvidia and Qualcomm. "Intel will build Apple's A7, Qualcomm's Snapdragon or the Nvidia Tegra for the right price. Now, the question is, are they ready to pay that premium [to ARM] and feed their direct competitor? But that would actually make business sense for everyone," Brookwood added.
CNET points out that Altera won't be the first; Netronome claimed to be one of Intel's first ARM-based customers back in April. Netronome's next-generation flow processors will be manufactured on Intel's 22 nm Tri-Gate process, and used in a broad range of demanding network, security and content processing applications found in high end networks with speeds up to 100 Gbps. NFPs are the industry's only processor specifically designed for tight coupling with Intel Architecture (IA) processors.
CNET reports that Altera and Netronome went to Intel because the chip giant is making steady progress in building up its foundry business. Microsemi, Achronix and Tabula are also signed on to use Intel to produce their chips. Microsemi, which will only use Intel for its digital products, will have its first 22 nm-based parts made by the end of 2014 or in early 2015.
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vmem man, sometimes I have to admit, Intel is amazing at outmaneuvering the competition. it's not always legit (such as what they did w/ AMD), but Intel knows how to corner it's competitors...Reply -
Sam Epstein Ok, this is getting absurd.Reply
http://www.extremetech.com/computing/169853-hell-freezes-over-intel-announces-plan-to-fab-arm-processors
6 days ago Tom. 6. Days. Ago.
You have 2 Wii Mini articles too closely on the list. THEY ARE THE SAME THING.
http://www.engadget.com/2013/11/01/oculus-rift-consumer-version-interview/
Your article came out yesterday, theirs, 4 days ago.
I love getting my info here, it's so much more streamlined, but I've SEEN it all already. -
joytech22 I remember this time last year how everybody here was laughing at Intel, but they have the ball rolling now and it isn't going to be easy stopping so much momentum.Reply
I hope the competition is up for a battle - because it's going to get quite ugly over the next year. -
Pinhedd This isn't exactly huge news. It was announced a while back that Intel would be fabricating Altera's Stratix 10 series FPGAs and probably by extension the successors to the Arria V and Cyclone V series FPGAs as well. This includes both the vanilla FPGAs and SoC series FPGAs which have hard instantiated ARM cores on board.Reply
Altera doesn't compete against Intel in any consumer markets. Altera's Cyclone and Stratix SoCs won't be found in desktops or mobile devices, they're found in engineering labs and on the desks of hobbyists.
This would be bigger news if they started manufacturing ARM chips for Qualcomm, Samsung, or Apple. -
DarkSable 11873164 said:You have 2 Wii Mini articles too closely on the list. THEY ARE THE SAME THING.
This is the thing that really bugs me, and it's been happening a LOT recently. Another example that pops to mind is HGST helium-filled drives. Two articles, virtually identical, with slightly different titles, within a couple days of each other.
I don't know if it's confusion on who's writing what article, or trying to get that article a certain number of pageviews, or what, but it's annoying.
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GeeLouie The more players in the game the better for us consumers but late 2014 is far away. Meanwhile:Reply
Report: Samsung Prepping 14 nm, 64-Bit Exynos 6 Chip for Galaxy S5
http://www.dailytech.com/Report+Samsung+Prepping+14+nm+64Bit+Exynos+6+Chip+for+Galaxy+S5/article33645.htm
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gsxrme I wish Intel would allow x86 emulation on Windows RT. That being said make Windows 8.2 run both arm and x86 on the same OS would be a huge advantage for PC market and vendors.Reply -
catfishtx So, what's to keep some Intel engineers from obtaining a sample of said chip and reverse engineering it? Now Intel could make an ARM compatible chip with no license fees.Reply