NovaThor is a platform consisting of integrated System on Chips (SoC) and modems for smartphones and tablets developed by ST-Ericsson, a 50/50 joint venture of Ericsson and STMicroelectronics established on February 3, 2009. ST-Ericsson also sells the SoCs (Nova) and the modems (Thor) separately.[1]
Currently[when?], the only devices which are powered by NovaThor use the Android operating system.
On November 2, 2011, Nokia announced that NovaThor SoCs will power Nokia's future Windows Phone based smartphones, making a deviation from the standard use of Qualcomm Snapdragon SoCs in Windows Phones.[2]
On February 28, 2012, ST-Ericsson announced that they will switch to fully depleted silicon on insulator (FD-SOI) transistors for upcoming products to reduce power consumption. As an example they stated that the L8540 SoC with FD-SOI transistors would consume 35% less power.[3]
On November 21, 2012, it was announced that ST-Ericsson has joined the Sailfish Alliance hence NovaThor ModAp platform will support Jolla's smartphones and Sailfish OS.[4]
On December 10, 2012, ST-Ericsson announced that STMicroelectronics will leave the joint venture after a transition period making Ericsson the full owner of the Company.[5]
On December 20, 2012, Ericsson announced that they will not buy the remaining 50% stake that STMicroelectronics held. The future for the company therefore remains uncertain.[6]
On January 30, 2013, ST-Ericsson announced as part of it's quarterly result that they had shipped 10.7 million U8500 NovaThor units in the fourth quarter of 2012.[7]
Contents |
List of Nova and NovaThor SoCs [edit]
| Model Number | Semiconductor technology | CPU Instruction Set | CPU | GPU | Memory Technology | Wireless Radio Technologies | Availability | Utilizing Devices |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NovaThor U8500[8] | 45 nm | ARMv7 | 1 GHz Dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 | ARM Mali 400 MP (single core) | LP-DDR2 | HSPA | 2011 | Motorola XT760,[9] Ontim WP8500,[10] Samsung Galaxy Ace 2, Samsung Galaxy Beam, Samsung Galaxy S Advance,[11] Samsung Galaxy S III Mini,[12] ; Samsung Galaxy XCover 2; Shanda Bambook,[13] Sony Xperia go, Sony Xperia P,[14] Sony Xperia Sola, Sony Xperia U, Yulong Coolpad CP7728[15] |
| NovaThor U9500[16] | 45 nm | ARMv7 | 1 GHz Dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 | ARM Mali 400 MP | LP-DDR2 | GSM/EDGE, WCDMA/HSPA+ (HSDPA 21 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s) | 2011 | |
| Nova A9500[17] | 45 nm | ARMv7 | 1.2 GHz Dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 | ARM Mali 400 MP | LP-DDR2 | None | 2011 | HTC Sensation Z710T (China),[18] Lenovo LePhone S899t,[19] Snowball[20] |
| Nova A9540[21] | 32 nm[22] | ARMv7 | 1.85 GHz Dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 | PowerVR SGX 544 | Dual-channel LP-DDR2 | None | Cancelled | |
| NovaThor L9540[23] | 32 nm | ARMv7 | 1.85 GHz Dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 | PowerVR SGX 544 | Dual-channel LP-DDR2 | LTE FDD/TDD, HSPA+, TD-SCDMA, EDGE (external Thor M7400 modem) | Cancelled | |
| NovaThor L8540[24] | 28 nm | ARMv7 | 1.85 GHz Dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 | PowerVR SGX 544 @ 500 MHz[25] | Dual-channel LP-DDR2 | LTE FDD/TDD, HSPA+, TD-SCDMA, EDGE (integrated modem) | Cancelled | |
| NovaThor L8580 (eQuad∗)[26] | 28 nm FD-SOI | ARMv7 | 2.5/3 (?)GHz Dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 | PowerVR SGX 544 @600 MHz | Dual-channel LP-DDR2 | LTE FDD/TDD, HSPA+, TD-SCDMA, EDGE (integrated modem) | Cancelled |
∗ With eQuad, the dual-core chip act as 2 performance cores or, at 0.6V, 2 power-saving cores. "e" for electrical.
Similar platforms [edit]
- Snapdragon by Qualcomm
- OMAP by Texas Instruments
- Tegra by Nvidia
- Exynos by Samsung
- Ax by Apple
- Atom by Intel
References [edit]
- ^ NOVA TM - Highest performance application processors
- ^ ST-Ericsson's NovaThor to power Nokia's Windows Phone devices, loosens Qualcomm's grip - Engadget
- ^ http://www.stericsson.com/investors/ST%20Investor%20Day%20-%20ST-Ericsson%20plenary%20session%20presentation.pdf
- ^ http://blog.stericsson.com/blog/2012/11/st-ericsson-general/st-ericsson-is-ready-to-support-jolla%E2%80%99s-sailfish-os/
- ^ http://stericsson.com/press_releases/confirms_strategic_direction.jsp
- ^ http://www.nyteknik.se/nyheter/it_telekom/mobiltele/article3608010.ece
- ^ ST-Ericsson reports fourth quarter 2012 financial results
- ^ NovaThor U8500 Product Webpage; ST Ericsson.
- ^ http://www.stericsson.com/investors/ST%20Investor%20Day%20-%20ST-Ericsson%20plenary%20session%20presentation.pdf
- ^ ST-Ericsson NovaThor U8500 powers new tablet from Ontim
- ^ ST-Ericsson NovaThor U8500 powers new Samsung GALAXY S Advance
- ^ ST-ERICSSON NOVATHOR MODAP POWERS NEW SAMSUNG GALAXY S III MINI
- ^ http://www.stericsson.com/press_releases/PR_Shanda_U8500.jsp
- ^ Specifications - Sony Smartphones (Global UK English)
- ^ http://www.stericsson.com/press_releases/PR_Yulong_U8500.jsp
- ^ NovaThor U9500 Product Webpage; ST Ericsson.
- ^ Changing the game: ST-Ericsson Unveils NovaThor™ Family of Smartphone Platforms Combining its Most Advanced Application Processors with the Latest Generation of Modems
- ^ Powerful New ST-Ericsson Platform makes Debut in HTC Sensation
- ^ http://www.stericsson.com/press_releases/ST-Ericsson_Lenevo_A9500.jsp
- ^ Snowball is a low power, low cost Single Board Computer based on the ST-Ericsson Nova A9500 processor (Dual Cortex A9 + Mali 400 GPU)
- ^ Nova™ A9540
- ^ http://www.stericsson.com/press_releases/NovaThor.jsp
- ^ NOVATHOR™ L9540
- ^ NOVATHOR™ L8540
- ^ ST-Ericsson announces new highly integrated LTE NovaThor platform
- ^ http://www.stericsson.com/products/L8580.jsp
External links [edit]
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