NXP, ARM expand MCU tech licensing deal

NXP Semiconductors and ARM have expanded their partnership with a new licensing agreement, including the ARM Cortex-M3 processor, as well as other ARM technology. NXP will introduce a family of MCUs based on the ARM Cortex-M3 processor starting this year, further expanding its broad portfolio of 56 ARM7 and ARM9 family-based MCUs.

As part of the agreement, NXP will also have access to all ARM Cortex family processors, including the Cortex-A9 MPCore multicore processor, the ARM Mali family of graphics processing units (GPUs), CoreSight on-chip debug and trace technology, and a full suite of ARM physical IP.

"The strategic agreement between NXP and ARM underscores a shared vision of how 32bit processors are fundamentally changing advanced digital products—from mobile phones, portable media players, TVs and STBs, to identification applications, cars and a wide range of other electronic devices," said Rene Penning de Vries, senior VP and chief technology officer at NXP.

Adds Graham Budd, executive VP and general manager, processor division at ARM: "We look forward to working closely with NXP as it introduces new designs and enhancements in products ranging from microcontrollers and smart cards to high-end cellular system solutions."

Fresh solutions
Starting this year, NXP will release several MCU series based on the ARM Cortex-M3 processor. The NXP MCUs will target applications in consumer, industrial, medical and automotive systems, with a memory accelerator module featuring NXP's embedded high-speed flash memory design, as well as support for Ethernet and other communications peripherals such as USB and CAN.

"The introduction of a new family of NXP MCUs based on the ARM Cortex-M3 processor will be a major milestone in 2008. Our LPC2000 and LPC3000 MCU families are already extremely popular within the industry, and NXP will continue to offer our customers the broadest range of choice available when it comes to 32bit MCUs," said Geoff Lees, VP of microcontroller product line, NXP. "The low-power Cortex-M3 processor will enable NXP to continue our innovation in embedded flash, and provide a strong option for designers looking to migrate from 8bit and 16bit to 32bit MCU platforms."

The NXP MCU family based on the Cortex-M3 processor will be pin-compatible with, and offered in addition to its ARM7 and ARM9 family-based MCUs. Moreover, the new MCUs from NXP will be supported by a strong ecosystem of tools providers such as Keil and Embedded Artists.