Renesas Electronics and Renesas Mobile have licensed the ARM Cortex-A7 MPCore and ARM Cortex-A15 MPCore processors to create applications processors, communications processors and LTE / HSPA+ multi-mode smartphone platforms.

The new processors will be deployed in ARM's big.LITTLE configuration, a flexible approach that enables applications software to be switched between the two processor clusters; one for high performance functions powered by the ARM Cortex-A15 MPCore processor and one that delivers maximum power efficiency based on the Cortex-A7 processor.

Renesas Mobile's experience with ARM processors has resulted in some of the most efficient implementations on the market today in terms of power and size. A dual-core A9 implementation drives the Renesas Mobile MP5232, the first LTE Cat-4 capable mobile platform. This communications processor combines Renesas Mobile's world's fastest triple mode (LTE, DC-HSPA+ and GSM) modem with the application processor on a single die reducing space, power and product cost.