ARM acquires HPC/supercomputer software specialist Allinea

ARM acquires HPC/supercomputer software specialist Allinea

By Unknown   03:23   No comments:

Processor core IP supplier ARM has acquired supercomputer software vendor Allinea Software. Although ARM has a huge share in the embedded, mobile and portable computing market, its processors are not used much in the high performance computers such as supercomputers. ARM has entered the server market in last 3/4 years, and is now trying to get into high-performance computing/supercomputer market. 

This acquisition is aimed at strengthening its capability in HPC, so that its customers can be given processor core IP and also the software to debug and tune the high-performance computing design. ARM 64-bit ARMv8-A processor cores were used Fujitsu's powered Post K supercomputer, and the company has launched ARMv8-A Scalable Vector Extension. 

ARM says ARMv8-A is the first alternative architecture with OpenHPC support, and the release of ARM Performance Libraries, which provide ease of software development and portability to ARMv8-A server platforms, added to this now is Allinea's software.

Majority of supercomputer developers are said to use Allinea's tools. The example of its customers include US Department of Energy, and NASA.

Javier Orensanz, general manager, development solutions group, ARM said "Allinea's ability to debug and analyze many-node systems is unique, and with this acquisition we are ensuring that this capability remains available to the whole ARM ecosystem, and to the other CPU architectures prevalent in HPC, as well as in future applications such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and advanced data analytics."

ARM said Allinea will be integrated into the ARM business with all functions and Allinea's Warwick and Eastleigh locations retained. Allinea's former CEO David Lecomber will join the ARM development solutions group management team.

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Microsoft and Qualcomm bring x86 apps to ARM-based devices

Microsoft and Qualcomm bring x86 apps to ARM-based devices

By Unknown   04:41   No comments:

Perhaps this will succeed where Windows RT failed.

Microsoft dipped its toe in the ARM waters with Windows RT but it ultimately proved a failure, primarily because of the lack of applications. That doesn't mean the company is going to give up on the dominant mobile market processor, however.

At the WinHEC show in China last week, Microsoft announced it has finally created a native version of Windows 10 running on Qualcomm Snapdragon processors with full x86 compatibility. This isn't Windows RT, it's full Windows 10, but you’ll be able to run Win32 apps and Windows Universal Apps.

The initial version of ARM Windows 10 only supports 32-bit apps, but that's not a big deal since most mobile devices have 4GB of memory or less anyway. And it should be noted this is Windows 10 on Snapdragon, not Windows 10 on ARM. Sure, Qualcomm's processors are fairly ubiquitous but they aren't everywhere. You won't be running Windows 10 on an iPad any time soon.

This enables Microsoft to get down into the lower-cost mobile market. The Surface tablets and notebooks are nice but they aren't cheap. That's partly due to being essentially x86 PCs. An ARM-based tablet has an overall lower cost of materials and lower price, so it gets Windows into places Microsoft currently isn't playing with the Surface line.

"For the first time ever, our customers will be able to experience the Windows they know with all the apps, peripherals, and enterprise capabilities they require, on a truly mobile, power efficient, always-connected cellular PC," said Windows chief Terry Myerson in a blog post announcing the breakthrough, along with other WinHEC news.

"With Windows 10 on cellular PCs, we will help everyone make the most of the air around them. We look forward to seeing these new devices with integrated cellular connectivity and the great experiences people love like touch, pen and Windows Hello, in market as early as next year," he added.

PCWorld (a sister publication of Computerworld) reports that the emulation will be built around a new, unreleased chip the Snapdragon 835 that's in production now and is due to ship in the first half of 2017, according to Qualcomm. The first Windows-on-ARM devices are expected by the second half of next year.

This will be a major challenge for Qualcomm. Emulation is always tricky business. Remember Transmeta? The difference here is Intel has basically given up on the mobile market. It bailed out of the tablet and smartphone business last year, basically handing it to ARM. So at least they don't have to deal with Intel on the hardware side.

But Qualcomm still faces a considerable challenge of ARM-to-x86 emulation. We don't know anything on the performance specs of the 835, only that it's a 10nm part.

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Microsoft to bring full Windows experience on mobile phones

Microsoft to bring full Windows experience on mobile phones

By Unknown   02:03   No comments:

Apps on the x86 architecture have mostly been limited to desktop processors - until now. At the 2016 WinHEC Conference in China, Microsoft announced that ARM processors will soon be able to run the full desktop experience of Windows.

During the Windows 8 time frame, as The Verge recounted, Microsoft implemented Windows on ARM under Windows RT, which proved to be unpopular since RT was only capable of running apps from the Windows store - that meant no x86 apps.

This has been rectified with the software giant's partnership with Qualcomm. Through emulation that is built into Windows 10, ARM processors will be able to run x86 win32 programs.

Executive Vice President Terry Myerson noted on Windows Blog: "For the first time ever, our customers will be able to experience the Windows they know with all the apps, peripherals, and enterprise capabilities they require, on a truly mobile, power efficient, always-connected cellular PC."

With a Snapdragon chipset, Microsoft demoed Windows 10 on ARM running the desktop Office suite, Adobe Photoshop, and Halo Spartan Assault. This showed how easily desktop apps might be handled on laptops and tablets by hardware partners, and even phones with Continuum, all the while taking advantage of the light footprint that mobile processors provide.

Lumia 950 XL release with Continuum, a feature of Windows 10 Mobile that let's phone act like computers when connected to a display. While Microsoft did not discuss Continuum in relation to this x86 emulation, this ARM implementation of Windows 10 could make Continuum that much more potent.

As it stands, Continuum for Windows 10 Mobile can only be taken advantage of using apps specifically design under the Universal Windows Platform (UWP) architecture, but Windows 10 on ARM can bring desktop apps to phones.

Windows 10's support for ARM processors is set to release next year. Stay tuned for more exciting updates!        

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Qualcomm and Microsoft Patch Up to Bring in Windows 10 Apps to ARM Chipsets

Qualcomm and Microsoft Patch Up to Bring in Windows 10 Apps to ARM Chipsets

By Unknown   04:01   No comments:

Microsoft has been already in the news for the latest upcoming devices that are reported to be waiting in the pipeline to be released once 2017 sets in. And it’s back in the headline yet again but this time for a completely different reason. It is reported that Microsoft will be tying up with Qualcomm to enable the availability of Windows 10 desktops apps on ARM chipsets.

The news has come in that Windows 10 will be able to support ARM chipsets and the announcement has been made by the officials of both Microsoft and Qualcomm. This means that the desktop windows app will be available on the mobile devices like smartphones, laptops and tablets. And such compatible devices might come out “as early as next year” as the company officials have suggested.

It is also reported that the new Windows 10 which is going to support ARM chipsets from Qualcomm will be able to run desktop x86 Win32 apps besides the Universal Windows apps. This will surely make things much better particularly after the discontinuation of the Windows RT platform which did not feature any desktop apps. But it remains to be seen how well the apps perform because it is expected that the apps will still run better on the x86 chipsets made by Intel.

However, the latest developments have put under the scrutiny the relationship between Microsoft and Intel which many believe that might just have fallen out. But Terry Myerson, Executive Vice President of Microsoft, absolutely dismissed such possibilities. He has been quoted telling The Verge, “We’re working closer with Intel than we ever have before. The collaboration is better than ever before. It’s just the case where Qualcomm does have these chips with integrated connectivity and better idle power performance which enables new devices to get built.” Thus the speculations that the collaboration between Microsoft and Intel might come to an end in distant future should die down for the time being.

Regarding the availability of the PCs which would be coming out after such collaboration between Microsoft and Qualcomm, it is speculated that it might be very early in 2017. Qualcomm has been quoted saying that the Windows 10 based on Qualcomm Snapdragon processors are “expected to be available as early as next year.”  so the tech enthusiasts across the world would be eager to watch out how these new devices perform when they are brought out in the market.

A video demonstrating Windows 10 and Adobe Photoshop running on an ARM-based device is reproduced below, with Qualcomm and Microsoft promising to launch the first units some time next year.

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