After years in development, NXP is finally getting ready to launch its i.MX8 processor family. NXP is the company that acquired Freescale in 2015, and i.MX8 are the 64-bit, ARMv8 chips that Freescale started talking about more than 3 years ago.
More information about the new chips started to come out earlier this year, but now we finally have a launch timeframe, as well as details about some of the frist i.MX8 chips.
NXP says samples of the new chips should be available starting in the first quarter, of 2017.
NXP is positioning the chips as part of a “multisensory automative eCockpit platform” with support for computer vision, natural speech processing, gesture controls, and other features that could allow them to power drones, connected vehicles, or other smart devices.
Theoretically we could also see the chips used in PCs, tablets, or other products, but it seems like Freescale/NXP isn’t actively pursuing that space.
Here are three of the chips we can expect at launch:
- i.MX 8 QuadMax:Â 2 ARM CortexA72 CPU cores, 4Â ARM Cortex-A53 cores, GC700XS/VX dual-core GPU, dual Cortex-M4F cores
- i.MX 8 QuadPlus:Â 1 ARM COrtex-A&2 core, 4 ARM Cortex-A53 cores, dual-core GC7000LiteXS/VX graphics, dual Cortex-M4F cores
- i.MX 8 Quad:Â 4 Cortex-A53 CPU cores, dual-core GC700LiteXS/VX graphics, dual Cortex-M4G cores
via CNX-Software