21
April 2014
M
ICROPROCESSORS
and a high-performance memory with two 64-bit DDR3/4 channels
with error-correcting code for high-availability applications. The
highly integrated system-on-chip further offers 10GB KR Ethernet
and third-generation PCI Express for high-speed network connectivity,
making it ideal for control-level applications. This extension to the
embedded roadmap offers developers of high-performance embedded
systems a solution which may have significant cost savings, both in
terms of power consumption as well as system costs.”
B
&
S / ECE Magazine:
Security surely plays a major role here?
Scott Aylor:
“Yes, of course. The need for networked, secure systems
has really come into the forefront. With ARM TrustZone technology
support and a dedicated cryptographic coprocessor for security tasks,
the Hierofalcon will have an extremely high level of security.”
B
&
S / ECE Magazine:
By developing platforms based on ARM
architecture, will AMD be neglecting the established x86 path?
Scott Aylor:
“Certainly not. AMD continues to build on its legacy as a
leading supplier of x86 solutions and we expect Bald Eagle, which is
an x86-based, high-performance, next-generation embedded processor,
to become available in the first half of this year. It will come as an
APU or CPU and have up to four new Steamroller CPU cores with
up to a 35-watt TDP. The APUs will provide the new performance-
optimized GPU architecture AMD Radeon Graphics Core Next and
HSA extensions for high-performance embedded applications, resulting
in a superior solution for next-generation digital signage and embedded
digital gaming applications. In addition, the Bald Eagle family
facilitates greater design flexibility for developers. To enable this, new
power management functions such as configurable TDP will be
introduced.”
B
&
S / ECE Magazine:
And what are the plans for the low-power
segment?
Scott Aylor: “We will also launch Steppe Eagle, which covers this seg-
ment, in the first half of this year. It will further extend the performance
and low-power range of the current, award-winning AMD Embedded
G-Series SoC platform with an improved Jaguar CPU core architecture
and an AMD Graphics Core Next GPU architecture with new
functions for higher CPU and GPU frequencies. The Steppe Eagle
SoC was designed for low-power embedded applications and, in
comparison to the current AMD Embedded G-Series SoC, offers,
next to a high performance-per-watt, a low TDP and increased high-
end performance above 2GHz. In addition, the Steppe Eagle SoC
gives embedded development engineers the flexibility to leverage the
current AMD Embedded G-Series SoC board design and software
Figure 1. IDC forecast for the embedded market
