Beginning of the End for XScale?
Thu, 09/15/2005 - 21:07
Tools
There are a lot of things happening in CPU design these days. The CPU selections for the next generation of game machines are old news, as is Apple’s conversion to the Intel camp. Now it appears that Intel is finally getting around to trying to kill off their XScale line as they bring out x86 models that finally don’t double as toaster ovens. A report on The Register talks about their plans to converge their architectures in future generations of low-power SoC’s.
This makes sense for Intel if they can really pull it off. They acquired the XScale line when they and Compaq split up DEC, and from what I heard they literally had no idea they were getting it or what they had. While they were trying to figure out what to do with it the design team got lifted out from under them, so there was real question whether they would just drop it. Instead they ran with it, and for quite a while that part of Intel was where the interesting work was being done. All of that has to be irritating Intel’s management, especially when they write royalty checks to ARM.
The questions are, first of all, whether they can pull the technology off. ARM is not just a low-power architecture, it is also fully static and is enjoying an unprecedented amount of support in embedded systems. Even the Single-Board Computer (SBC) vendors are forsaking their legacy PC-based designs and coming out with ARM (especially XScale)-based boards. One of them told me they are trying to make hay before this architecture also becomes commoditized.
The second question is whether designers will accept an x86 in embedded designs, even a low-power one. The major problem besides power has always been that x86 CPUs were too expensive. The only way Intel may be able to garner support in embedded designs may be to cut their profit margins, which may make the entire exercise problematic for them.
Larry Mittag
This makes sense for Intel if they can really pull it off. They acquired the XScale line when they and Compaq split up DEC, and from what I heard they literally had no idea they were getting it or what they had. While they were trying to figure out what to do with it the design team got lifted out from under them, so there was real question whether they would just drop it. Instead they ran with it, and for quite a while that part of Intel was where the interesting work was being done. All of that has to be irritating Intel’s management, especially when they write royalty checks to ARM.
The questions are, first of all, whether they can pull the technology off. ARM is not just a low-power architecture, it is also fully static and is enjoying an unprecedented amount of support in embedded systems. Even the Single-Board Computer (SBC) vendors are forsaking their legacy PC-based designs and coming out with ARM (especially XScale)-based boards. One of them told me they are trying to make hay before this architecture also becomes commoditized.
The second question is whether designers will accept an x86 in embedded designs, even a low-power one. The major problem besides power has always been that x86 CPUs were too expensive. The only way Intel may be able to garner support in embedded designs may be to cut their profit margins, which may make the entire exercise problematic for them.
Larry Mittag
