Open Kernel Labs Delivers OKL4 Mobile Virtualization for ARM Cortex-A15 Processor

September 13, 2010

Leader in Mobile Virtualization Embraces New ARM CPU for Next-generation Handheld/Wireless Designs and Servers; Supports H/W-Assisted Virtualization, Large Address Space and Instruction Set

Chicago – September 13, 2010 - Open Kernel Labs (OK Labs), the leading provider of embedded virtualization software for mobile phones and broadband Internet devices, today announced off-the-shelf support for the newly-introduced ARM Cortex™-A15 MPCore processor from ARM . The OKL4 Microvisor is immediately available for the Cortex-A15 processor simulator and will support Cortex-A15 processors as they roll out over the next 18-24 months.

Virtualization is reinventing mobile/wireless platform design and application deployment.  As in the data center, virtualization on smartphones and other wireless devices is becoming the foundation for highly-valued technology opportunities and business solutions.  By enabling one mobile device to run multiple OSes, virtualization delivers solutions ranging from security to improved utilization of multicore SoCs, to mobile-to-enterprise communications to BYOD – “Bring Your Own Device” to work, to the Nirvana phone.  It also lets handset manufacturers consolidate mobile chipsets and other resources, holding down bills-of-material costs and ushering in an era of “mass-market” smartphones.

Together, OKL4 and the Cortex-A15 processor target high-end mobile/wireless devices, including smartphones, superphones, web pads, and even server blades. To meet requirements presented by these devices and applications, OK Labs is enabling the company’s OKL4 Microvisor to accommodate ARM Cortex-A15 processor capabilities, including hardware-assisted virtualization, 40-bit addressing, and the latest ARMv7-A instruction set.

OK Labs, its partners, and customers are eyeing the Cortex-A15 processor for its hardware-assisted virtualization capability. The ARM Cortex-A15 processor extensions plug in to the OKL4 Microvisor providing a fast path for operations critical to hosting guest OSes, especially virtualizing OSes available in binary-only.  Running on the Cortex-A15 processor, OKL4 will continue to serve as the foundation for mobile systems software, performing resource management (memory, devices, energy, and global scheduling) and facilitating secure communication and resource sharing among guest OSes.

“ARM and OK Labs work closely together to serve the global ecosystem of OEMs, chipset suppliers, and operators with technology leadership for device security and resource management,” commented Steve Subar, President and CEO, OK Labs.  “Our long-term investment in accompanying the ARM roadmap has brought substantial returns and will yield new opportunities as the Cortex-A15 processor and OKL4 go to market together, powering the next billion always-connected and power-efficient devices.”

“Virtualization is a key feature of the Cortex-A15 processor, so the work with OK Labs and its OKL4 Microvisor will enable the Cortex-A15 processor to serve real-world requirements for mobile virtualization,” added Eric Schorn, Vice President Marketing, Processor Division, “As the Cortex-A15 processor makes its way from simulation to silicon, our licensees and their OEM customers will benefit from the security and system management intelligence conferred by OKL4 on Cortex-A15 processor-based designs and the software that runs on them.”

Key Facts

  • The ARM Cortex-A15 MPCore processor, like the current Cortex-A9 processor, targets high-end handheld wireless devices, providing up to 5x more performance than current mobile processor technology. Cortex-A15 CPUs also will enable wireless infrastructure, enterprise networking, web 2.0 servers, and digital home applications.
  • ARM Cortex-A15, in simulation today, will progress to market through ARM licensees and other semiconductor suppliers over the next 18-24 months
  • Open Kernel Labs OKL4 Microvisor already supports a broad range of ARM silicon, including chipsets from Qualcomm, ST-Electronics, Texas Instruments, and other leading suppliers 
  • Hardware-assisted virtualization does not diminish the importance or take the place of existing virtualization technology; it streamlines and strengthens the existing foundation in products like OKL4
  • Combining advanced performance, power management and virtualization, ARM Cortex-A15 MPCore and OKL4 offer a sleek, green platform for data center and Cloud applications


Availability

As a result of the company’s relationship with ARM, the OK Labs Microvisor runs TODAY on the ARM Cortex-A15 simulator and will be ready-to-deploy on first Cortex-A15 silicon from ARM licensees. The partnership between ARM and OK Labs enables early access for OEMs, operators and other developers to mobile virtualization for ARM Cortex-A15 MPCore, as it has for ARM11 multicore symmetric multi-processing (SMP), Cortex-A8, and Cortex-A9.
To evaluate OKL4 on the ARM Cortex-A15 simulator or on other ARM architecture chipsets from a range of semiconductor suppliers, contact info@ok-labs.com.

About Open Kernel Labs

OK Labs is the global leader in virtualization software for mobile/wireless devices and embedded systems. OK Labs software is deployed on more than 1.1 billion mobile phones worldwide. Semiconductor suppliers, handset OEMs, and mobile network operators depend on OK Labs to deliver high performance solutions that decrease BOM cost, reduce complexity, and speed time-to-market.

Contacts:

Trish Colby
LinuxPundit.com
+1 408 828 2861
trish@linuxpundit.com

Sarah Jennings
Ballou PR
+44 (0)7725 989 594
sarahj@balloupr.com

Marti Konstant
Open Kernel Labs
+1 312 933 0101
marti@ok-labs.com

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