Freescale Unveils Latest i.MX Product Family Featuring Ultra-High Performance Automotive CPUs for Advanced Driver Information Systems

As customer acceptance of downloadable applications running on popular mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones increases, automotive manufacturers are researching new car models differentiated by high-performance DIS (Driver Information Systems) that support similar use cases, such as customizable in-dash applications and fully reconfigurable instrument clusters.

In response to these demands, Freescale Semiconductor introduces its automotive i.MX53 processor family, designed to support multimedia applications in next-generation vehicles. The i.MX536 and i.MX534 families are smartphone-class processors specifically designed for in-vehicle operation and developed to meet the requirements of infotainment, integrated telematics, and reconfigurable instrument panel applications.

Since the visual aspects of the final product are paramount in users' perceptions of performance and quality, Freescale has integrated two independent graphics processing engines capable of rendering the high frame rates required for reconfigurable and highly realistic display-based instrument panels. As a result, automotive designers can move away from fixed analog gauges and implement a single, customizable display-based instrument panel across the entire vehicle family.

Bernd Lienhard, General Manager of Freescale’s Multimedia Applications business unit, said, “Freescale’s history of leading the automotive industry has been the driving force behind providing solutions that meet the quality, reliability, and sustainability specifications required by this market,” adding, “Freescale’s advanced i.MX53 automotive processor enhances the driver experience by supporting new applications and larger, more intuitive displays that are having an increasingly greater influence on automotive purchasing decisions.”

The i.MX53x family is designed based on the previous-generation i.MX51 processor that powers Ford's recently announced MyFord Touch. Ford's next-generation touchscreen multimedia infotainment platform provides drivers with a way to connect with in-vehicle technology and digital life more safely, easily, and efficiently. http://media.ford.com/images/10031/MyFordTouch_July10.pdf

The i.MX53x processors are based on the latest Freescale version of the ARM Cortex™-A8 core, delivering 800MHz performance in automotive environments. For reconfigurable instrument panel applications, the i.MX534 features dual graphics processors that support ultra-fast rendering of 2D instructions and 3D images. The i.MX536 adds a dedicated hardware video processor suitable for advanced multimedia applications, supporting full 1080p video decoding and 720p encoding with minimal CPU load. Both processors include a 400MHz external memory interface that supports standard DDR2 and DDR3 memory, as well as low-power DDR2. This product supports dual display applications through dual parallel display ports and an onboard LVDS interface. It also supports high-performance multi-channel audio and audio mixing applications through extended serial audio interface technology, multiple I2S I/O ports, and a hardware-based asynchronous sampling rate converter.

The i.MX536 and i.MX534 devices are included in the Freescale Product Life Extension Program and are guaranteed supply for a minimum of 15 years. Terms and conditions can be found at www.Freescale.com/productlongevi