Marvell has launched new processor chips to power IoT applications
A family of IoT application processors forms the latest products from Marvell, as it targets bringing the next wave of IoT products to market.
The manufacturer of storage and semiconductor parts for communication in home automation, industrial, and wearable applications, the new products have been purpose-built as part of Marvell’s IoT Application Processor (IAP) family of products.
The IAP220 System-on-Chip (SoC) enables the low-power and high-performance computing necessary for many IoT products, and features an ARM Cortex-A7 dual core processor.
The company’s IoT application software framework Kinoma offers pre-integrated silicon and software to support rapid prototyping workflows with the IAP suite.
Kinoma can integrate cloud services, such as Amazon Web Services, Amazon Alexa Voice Services, Microsoft Azure and IBM Bluemix, and IoT framework support services like Google Brillo and Apple HomeKit for fast prototyping of devices that need to connect to the wider IoT ecosystem.
Marvell’s IAP220 SoC provides integrated multimedia support including 3D graphics engine, display controllers, digital video camera interface, and video encoder and decoder, for use in products with a touchscreen and high-level OS, such as smart appliances and security systems.
An integrated sensor hub enables rapid and low-power sensor input processing, making the SoC useful for context-aware IoT devices in industrial automation and smart energy management.
Marvell states that this has been accomplished with API support for customisation and management of various sensors, management of all I/O independently from the processor and in a very modular fashion, and wake up of the CPU only when needed for sensor input.
Designed for IoT products that operate for long periods of time on the same battery, its ultra-low-power architecture includes low voltage operation, multiple power domains and a small always-on region.
“Our IAP220 SoC provides full multimedia support, an integrated sensor hub, and a comprehensive ‘silicon and software’ solution for developing super-low-power Internet-connected devices with bandwidth-hungry applications,” said Philip Poulidis, VP and GM, automotive, wireless and IoT business units at Marvell.
