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ARM
has launched a new processor aimed at real-time automotive, industrial
and medical applications. The ARM Cortex-R52 advanced safety processor
addresses functional safety in compliance with the stringent ISO 26262
ASIL D and IEC 61508 SIL 3 standards. ARM partner STMicroelectronics is
the first company to license the processor for use in an SoC targeting
the automotive market.
ARM
Cortex-R52 Key Benefits
·
- Streamlined
next generation system development with the highest level of integrated
functional safety features
· -
Simplified
integration of complex software through strong separation of mixed criticality
code without impacting real-time performance
· -
Address
higher workloads with increased performance compared to Cortex-R5
James
McNiven, general manager for CPU and media processing groups at ARM, provided
some background information about the new processor's development: "We are
helping partners to meet particular market opportunities, especially in fully
autonomous vehicles and robotics systems where specific functionality is
required for safety-critical tasks." To meet the industry safety standards
ARM has documented the strict development process, fault modelling and
supporting software isolation for the Cortex-R52.
A
functionally safe system must be protected against the occurrence of both
random and systematic errors. In an example of the car braking system, the
safety application will protect against both random hazards that can disrupt
your vehicle, and systematic issues such as design and software errors.
The
new processor works by implementing hardware-enforced separation of software
tasks. This ensures that safety-critical code is fully isolated. With this
system built-into the processor less code needs to be safety-certified, aiding
development, integration, maintenance and validation of software. In addition,
the processor design provides fast context switching that real-time systems
demand.
STMicroelectronics
will be using the ARM Cortex-R52 advanced safety processor in smart driving
applications controlling the powertrain, chassis and ADAS (Advanced Driver
Assistance System). DENSO, a leading global supplier of advanced automotive
technology, systems and components is also supporting the launch.
ARM's
new Cortex-R52 offers a 35 per cent performance uplift compared to the
Cortex-R5, which is already deployed in a range of safety applications. The new
processor scores 1.36 Automark/MHz on the EEMBC AutoBench, the highest in its
class, and is 14x faster at context switching.
For
those interested in reading further, ARM has published a comprehensive blog
post about the new Cortex-R52 safety processor.
The company's Cortex-R52 targets markets where safety is critical, including autonomous vehicles, robotics and health care.
ARM
is looking to establish itself in the burgeoning autonomous car market with a
new chip design that is aimed at addressing the high safety standards needed
for not only driverless vehicles but also other areas such as industrial and
medical robots.
Company
officials on Sept. 20 unveiled the Cortex-R52, a system-on-a-chip (SoC) design
built on the company's ARMv8-R architecture that is designed to comply with a
range of safety standards—such as ISO 26262 ASIL D and IEC 61508 SIL 3—that
apply to situations in the growing internet of things (IoT), such as autonomous
cars and robots in health care settings, where safety and security is paramount
in the interaction between humans and machines.
The
includes with robots that assist doctors in surgery to self-driving cars that
need to understand the environment around them and immediately react to ensure
the safety of the drivers and the people around the cars. In addition, the
systems need to be highly secure to protect them against hackers.
"We
are helping partners to meet particular market opportunities, especially in
fully autonomous vehicles and robotics systems where specific functionality is
required for safety-critical tasks," James McNiven, general manager for
CPU and media processing groups at ARM, said in a statement.
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Like
other chip companies, ARM—which is being bought by Softbank for $32.2
billion—is working to branch out beyond its core markets to gain traction in a
broad range of emerging growth areas being fueled by the rapid proliferation of
connected devices, systems and sensors that make up the growing IoT. ARM
designs SoCs and licenses those designs to a wide variety of chip
manufacturers, such as Qualcomm, Samsung and Applied Micro. Most smartphones
and tablets run on ARM-designed processors, but now company officials are
looking to extend the reach of the architecture into other areas, from the data
center to the IoT.
A
growing number of ARM chip partners—including Qualcomm and Broadcom—are rolling
out new products for the autonomous vehicle space. ARM also has been building
up its capabilities in the IoT, including with the acquisition last year of
Offspark, a company that specialized in security software for connected devices
and sensors.
In
a post on the company blog, James Scobie, a product manager at ARM, wrote about
the growing demand for safety and security in IoT systems.
"Across
multiple markets, electronic systems are becoming more complex—including
automotive, industrial control and healthcare," Scobie wrote.
"Vehicles are beginning to drive themselves, industrial robots are
becoming increasingly collaborative, and medical systems are automated to
assist with surgery or deliver medication. More of these systems are demanding
functionally safe operation and requiring that functional safety be provided at
a higher safety level than previous generations of systems demanded."
The
Cortex-R52 architecture was created to address those functional safety needs,
not only in self-driving cars, but also in increasingly automated factories
that include autonomous robots that use machine learning and vision systems to
enable them to work with less human control, he wrote.
"Outside
the factory, robotics will be used in environments too harsh for humans, such
as the nuclear industry, where there is a need to maintain precise and assured
operation," Scobie wrote. "They can also be used in the medical
operating theaters with remote surgery. In both areas, functionally safe
operation is critical."
A
key point in the Cortex-R52 is that there is what officials called
hardware-enforced separation of various software tasks to make sure the code
that is critical for safety is isolated. The hardware is managed by a software
hypervisor. Not only does this ensure the protection of the code, but also
lessens the amount of code that must be safety-certified, which makes software
integration, maintenance and validation easier and development faster, they
said.
"The
Cortex-R52's ability to compartmentalize software provides our users with the
best solution for safety without loss of determinism," Fabio Marchiò, vice
president of STMicroelectronics' Automotive and Discrete Group and general
manager of its Automotive Digital Division, said in a statement. "Its
virtualization support simplifies the consolidation of applications and
functions into a single processor, delivering a shorter integration time."
Cambridge-based and Japanese-owned chip designer ARM has announced the launch of its first ARMv8-R architecture IP, the ARM Cortex-R52, designed specifically to address functional safety in autonomous vehicle and other safety-critical applications.
ARM has announced the launch of the Cortex-R52 processor, its first to use the ARMv8-R architecture, with a focus on safety-critical tasks such as autonomous vehicles.
ARM has announced the launch of the Cortex-R52 processor, its first to use the ARMv8-R architecture, with a focus on safety-critical tasks such as autonomous vehicles.
Based
around an extension of the 64-bit ARMv8 microarchitecture, ARMv8-R introduces
extensions for one simple purpose: to improve safety. The design introduces a
hardware-enforced separation of software tasks, whereby a software hypervisor
polices the execution and resource allocation to ensure that safety-critical
code is run in a completely isolated environment away from any other code. The
result, ARM claims, is a significant boost in security, a reduction in the
amount of code that needs to go through safety certification, and the ability
to run complex software without losing support for deterministic real-time
operating system (RTOS) operation.
'The
Cortex-R52 is the first processor built on the ARMv8-R architecture and it was
designed from the ground up to address functional safety,' explained James
McNiven, ARM's general manager for CPU and media processing groups, of the
launch. 'We are helping partners to meet particular market opportunities,
especially in fully autonomous vehicles and robotics systems where specific
functionality is required for safety-critical tasks. By documenting the strict
development process, fault modelling and supporting software isolation, ARM is
enabling a faster route to market for partners addressing these applications.'
The
first licensee for the Cortex-R52 design is STMicroelectronics, which is to
build the part for its customers as a replacement for the older safety-centric
Cortex-R5. Those looking to upgrade will, the company has claimed, see a 35
percent increase in performance as a result. 'The Cortex-R52 supports our Smart
Driving vision by enabling a new range of high-performance, power-efficient
SoCs for any in-vehicle application demanding real-time operation and the
highest levels of functional safety, including powertrain, chassis and ADAS,'
claimed Fabio Marchiò at STMicroelectronics. 'The Cortex-R52's ability to
compartmentalise software provides our users with the best solution for safety
without loss of determinism. Its virtualisation support simplifies the
consolidation of applications and functions into a single processor, delivering
a shorter integration time.'
Thus
far, no company has stepped forward to suggest when the first devices based
around the Cortex-R52 design will hit the open market.
ARM
has announced the launch of the Cortex-R52 processor, its first to use the
ARMv8-R architecture, with a focus on safety-critical tasks such as autonomous
vehicles.
