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.
