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Product category: Embedded Software and Operating Systems
News Release from: Express Logic | Subject: ThreadX
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 15 February 2006

RTOS supports deeply embedded ARMs

Express Logic's ThreadX RTOS now supports the ARM CortexTM-M3 microprocessor

This implementation of ThreadX delivers a small footprint, fast RTOS, designed specifically for deeply embedded applications based on the ARM Cortex-M3 processor. Target applications include high-volume consumer, automotive and industrial devices. ThreadX is especially appropriate for these heavily resource-constrained, microcontroller-based designs, offering low-overhead real-time responsiveness and deterministic behaviour, in as little as 4Kbyte of ROM or Flash memory.

In addition to announcing ThreadX support for the Cortex-M3 processor, Express Logic announced that ThreadX was used extensively by ARM during the development of the Cortex-M3 processor, to validate the core and its integrated, advanced interrupt handling capabilities.

Through a preliminary port of the ThreadX operating system to the Cortex-M3 processor, ARM's engineers were able to quickly simulate extremely complex environments, substantially reducing test development times and enabling the company to release the Cortex-M3 processor ahead of schedule.

'ThreadX enabled us to test many of the operating characteristics of the Cortex-M3 processor to ensure it would perform well in the most demanding of real-time applications', commented Haydn Povey, CPU product manager at ARM.

'Express Logic has been a long-time partner of ours, and we appreciate their help in supporting our Cortex-M3 processor development'.

'The commercial release of ThreadX for the Cortex-M3 processor will be available to developers through Express Logic, and it can be used with our RealView development tools'.

Povey added: 'With microcontroller products based on the Cortex-M3 processor expected to ship in early 2006, it is important for ARM to rapidly develop a broad supporting ecosystem for the new core, and RTOSes such as ThreadX play a critical role in this for our Partners and the device end-users'.

'We are honoured that ARM elected to use our ThreadX RTOS to validate the design of their new Cortex-M3 microprocessor', commented William E Lamie, President of Express Logic.

'ARM's use of ThreadX shows its value as one of the most dependable and reliable RTOSes for ARM processors; ARM partners can be confident that the combination of the Cortex-M3 processor and ThreadX has been well tested and has passed with flying colours'.

Under the terms of a development licence agreement, ThreadX source code was provided to ARM for the design and validation of the Cortex-M3 processor.

ThreadX development was performed using the ARM RealView Developer Suite of tools, including its C compiler, debugger, and ICE.

RealView tools provides kernel-aware debugging of ThreadX-based applications, as well as run-mode debugging for nonstop operation during test.

The ARM Cortex-M3 processor is the industry's smallest and lowest power general-purpose, 32bit microprocessor, making it ideal for a wide range of applications such as microcontrollers, low-cost wireless handsets, ZigBee and Bluetooth implementations, and automotive electronics.

The Cortex-M3 processor achieves in excess of 1.2DMIPS/MHz and integrates a powerful interrupt controller to deliver industry-leading determinism in very cost sensitive markets.

ThreadX for the ARM Cortex-M3 processor is available now from Express Logic, with single-product royalty-free licences starting at US $12,500. Request a free brochure from Express Logic....

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