Advertisment

TI licenses ARM DSP technology

author-image
CIOL Bureau
New Update

Texas Instruments and ARM Holdings announced plans to combine their respective expertise in digital signal processor and RISC-based microprocessor design to develop a new generation of ICs for mobile phones and small wireless computers with Internet access. As part of the deal, Texas Instruments will license ARM's latest ARM10T processor design.



The deal is key for TI which is facing mounting competition from Motorola, IBM, Intel and others zeroing in on the DSP market. ARM technology would enable TI to make its chips smaller, faster and less power-consuming, the main three ingredients that spell competitive advantage and profitability in the semiconductor market. TI and ARM have worked together on wireless technologies since 1993. "This new agreement demonstrates TI's continuous commitment to the ARM architecture for the development of leading-edge wireless communications,'' said Gilles Delfassy, vice president in the semiconductor unit at Dallas-based Texas Instruments.



TI is paying ARM an up-front fee for the license rights and will also pay the company between 5 cents and $2.50 in royalties for future chips it sells that incorporates ARM technology. Earlier this week, TI and ARM were confronted with a serious competitive threat from Motorola which announced a new DSP that offers compatibility with all of the main cellular telephone standards so users can take their telephone anywhere in the world.

tech-news