U.K.-based ARM Holdings Plc is best known for being a smartphone chipmaker, with its designs used by tech giants like Apple and Samsung. Now the company is entering new unchartered markets with the launch of its Cortex R-52 processor, designed for self-driving cars and surgical robots.

ARM was acquired by Japan’s SoftBank Group Corp., earlier this month, for a reported $31.4 billion. When the acquisition was first announced in July, it was reported that it was due to SoftBank’s aim of acquiring a stake in the Internet of Things (IoT) market.

The Cortex R-52 processor is aimed at use in automated cars, industrial robots and health-care devices, where safety is paramount and will need to comply with strict safety standards including ISO 26262 ASIL D and IEC 61508 SIL 3.

“The Cortex-R52 is the first processor built on the ARMv8-R architecture and it was designed from the ground up to address functional safety,” said James McNiven, general manager for CPU and media processing groups at ARM, in the company’s press release about the new processor.

ARM will license the Cortex R-52 processor to other chip manufacturers. Geneva-based STMicroelectronics NV becomes the first ARM partner to license the Cortex R-52 processor to enable integrated system-on-chips (SoCs) for the automotive market.

“The Cortex-R52 supports our Smart Driving vision by enabling a new range of high-performance, power-efficient SoCs for any in-vehicle application demanding real-time operation and the highest levels of functional safety, including powertrain, chassis and ADAS,” said Fabio Marchiò, automotive and discrete group vice president and automotive digital division general manager at STMicroelectronics.

When placed into a self-driving car, the Cortex R-52 processor will be able to help with safety decisions such as accelerating, steering, lane changing or emergency braking when dealing with obstacles in the road. Compared to the previous generation Cortex-R5, the new R-52 processor is 35 percent faster. 

Expanding market

ARM are not the only company to focus on safety-critical chips. Intel also expanded its IoT horizons with the acquisition of Yogitech S.p.A in April. Semiconductor designer, Yogitech specializes in safety chips used in the automotive industry.

ARM expects the first cars with its Cortex R-52 processor to enter the market in 2020.

Image via ARM