Marvell announces first triple-core 1.5 GHz mobile processor

(PhysOrg.com) -- In a press release this morning Marvell announced the world’s first "ultra-low power, ultra-high performance" 1.5 GHz three-core processor that is the "first to feature 3D graphics performance with quad unified shaders for 200 million triangles per second delivered on mobile devices."

According to the press release, the Armada 628 can deliver dual stream 1080p 3D video and 3D graphics performance with quad unified shaders for 200 million triangles per second delivered on ultra-low-power, long battery life smartphones and tablets.

The Armada 628 is also the first to incorporate a System-on-a-Chip (SoC) design with three ARM cores and six additional processing engines, totaling nine dedicated core functions. An Armada-equipped smartphone would be able to play 10 hours straight of 1080p HD video or 140 hours of music on a single charge.

Some of the key features of the tri-core processor include:

• Up to 1.5 GHz for the two main cores and 624 MHz for the third low power core
• 1 MB System Level 2 Cache
• 1080p dual stream 3D video applications (30 FPS, multi-format)
• Ability to project images on multiple simultaneous displays: 2 LCD’s, 1 HDMI, 1 EPD controller
• Peripherals supports: USB 3.0 Superspeed Client, MIPI CSI, MIPI DSI, HDMI with integrated PHY, UniPro, Slimbus, SPMI

The Armada 628 is the first mobile CPU to offer USB 3.0. The CPU is compatible with RIM OS, Android, Linux, Windows Mobile, and full Adobe Flash.

According to Marvell the CPU is currently available for sampling to customers but there is no word yet on when we can expect it to be incorporated into smartphones or tablets in the U.S. market.

© 2010 PhysOrg.com