Capabilities that would normally correspond to more expensive and sophisticated mobile devices (smartphones and tablets) will be provided by ARM's new processor, which is aimed mainly at the "middle" category of "smart" devices.
According to Mashable, the ARM Cortex-A17 is essentially a revamped version of the Cortex A9 (found in chips like Nvidia's Tegra 3, found in devices like the Nexus 7 and Microsoft Surface, or the A5 in the iPhone 4S) for 2014. According to ARM, the A17 is 60% more power efficient than the A9, which means that manufacturers using it will be able to boost their devices with more features.
MediaTek seems to be the first to get on the "train", its chips being found in approximately 250 million devices worldwide, however it has a relatively small presence in the US, as it has so far mainly targeted low-end devices.
According to ARM, the new A17 architecture will be found in the majority of "mid-range" devices by 2015, through chips from Nvidia, Broadcom, Samsung, etc. The company also believes that such chips will find their way into the "smart" TVs space.
According to PC World, the first smartphones and tablets are expected to start being available in the second half of 2015, as ARM processors typically take 18 to 24 devices to "reach" mobile devices.
It is noted that the Cortex A17 is announced six months after the announcement of the Cortex A12, which is also aimed at the "mid-range" device space.
Source: naftemporiki.gr
