Freescale i.mx6

In February, Freescale showed off a new very interesting ARM processor of the iMX.6 series.
The new series is represented by single, dual and quad core Cortex A9 processors operating at frequencies up to 1.2 GHz. Accordingly, they are designated i.MX6 Solo, i.MX6 Dual and i.MX6 Quad. Complementing the series is the cheaper dual-core i.MX6 DualLite processor.


Red on the diagram carefully highlighted the differences from the previous step.

At the end of this year, the first products built on this processor began to appear on the market: these are both the Wandboard mini-PCs mentioned earlier , VAR-SOM-MX6 processor modules and debugging tools for serial product developers of the well-known Israeli company Variscite.

The processor is primarily interesting in that it has high performance in a compartment with low power consumption (the manufacturer focuses on optimizing for low power consumption). It can solve complex computational problems and work in the field of resource-intensive multimedia applications related, for example, to encoding / decoding and video processing with a resolution of 1080p. The processor also allows you to decode 3D video in HD quality, supports working with a 3D stereo camera to shoot HD video.

Independently operating NEON SIMD coprocessor and Vivante ™ graphics accelerator provide ample opportunities for working with graphics and can efficiently consume battery energy, reducing the load on the most consuming CPU cores. The capabilities of the processor open up prospects for use in tablets and other portable devices, in TV and game consoles, in demanding applications and in specialized devices where its multimedia functions are best revealed.

The set of supported interfaces meets the requirements of the modern high-tech market:

1. HDMI 1.4
2. USB 2.0
3. Gigabit ethernet
4. Wi-Fi and BlueTooth
5. SATA
6. PCI Express
7. Flexcan

In general, the processor turned out to be quite interesting and promising. It may well compete with key players and get an impetus for the development of its technologies, which may lead Freescale to new levels in the leader line.