BCM provides ODM/OEM custom design services for ARM (Advanced RISC Machine) based computing systems targeting low cost embedded ODM/OEM appliances, vehicle PCs, portable computing devices, thin clients, portable game consoles, digital signage and players, plus many other market segments where low cost and lower power budgets are required. With today’s improvements in ARM technology, however, low cost and low power doesn’t necessarily translate to low performance making ARM technology attractive to more and more products and applications.

Different from the x86 platform which uses CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computing) architecture, ARM motherboards adopt RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computing) architecture. The most significant features about RISC architecture are:

(1) Ultra Low Power and Mobility

The RISC architecture enables the processor to handle instruction sets in a simpler but more efficient way. This allows for reduced power consumption which in turn creates less heat which is essential for portable, battery operated, handheld, and fan less devices. ARM technology can help to greatly extend battery life for portable devices or reduce cost by meeting operating time requirements with smaller and less expensive batteries. This feature also allows the system to operate under extreme temperature environments.

(2) Stable Performance

The simplified instruction set combined with less heat and less power consumption helps systems using ARM technology to maintain stable performance and extend their battery hours of operations.

(3) Ultra Small Form Factor Design

Due to its reduced instruction set computing design, the processor is much smaller which enables ultra small form factor or simplified designs ideal for space constrained applications such as embedded appliances, portable devices, mobile applications, handheld devices, small size panel pc, HMI applications, or cost constrained products that require simple compute or multimedia capabilities for low cost digital appliances, input devices, consoles, security nodes, etc.. that do not need x86 performance or associated costs.

(4) Low Cost Embedded System

The simplified nature of ARM technologies are ideal for digital products or appliances that require reasonable compute performance or multimedia capabilities over an extended lifecycle but require low upfront equipment costs and ongoing operational costs. BCM’s customized OEM/ODM business model, combined with ARM technology, is ideal for grasping the customer’s technical requirements, productizing them, and then using our custom design capabilities to meet the cost target requirement that cannot be achieved through a COTS off-the-shelf standard product.

(5) Low Cost and Low Power does not equal Low Performance

Advancements in ARM technology have significantly increased in performance and the newest ARM products with single and multi-cores have greatly increased compute power and provide excellent multimedia capabilities opening the door for consideration in many more products and applications. BCM’s OEM/ODM customization capabilities make us the ideal partner for helping your company to integrate ARM technology into your products.