Re: News : ARM Trying to Buy AmperComputing

rbowman <bowman@montana.com> wrote:

On 17 Jan 2025 07:35:47 +1000, Computer Nerd Kev wrote:
 

Finding the minimum-power ARM chip able to run Linux would be an
interesting exercise. I gather Linux requires a minimum set of ARM
extensions, as well as an MMU, which may exclude many of the SoC options
intended for embedded applications. Software is as much of the problem
as hardware.

 
ARM processors fall into three rough classes, A, M, and R. A is the
general purpose design like the Cortex A76 in the current Raspberry Pi 5,
while M is the microprocessors like the Cortex M33 in the Pico 2.

I'm aware that the Cortex Ms miss some features needed for Linux,
and these are the lowest power fast ARM processors, so that's the
software problem. You could write/port something like the first
Contiki OS to replace Linux, but then you've lost the versitility
of being able to use existing software like on an x86(_64) laptop
(unless you run it remotely on a PC via VNC, which Contiki OS
apparantly supported).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contiki

The Raspberry Pi 5 runs Raspberry Pi )S, a Debian derivative, very nicely.
People have tried other distros with mixed success. The Pis have been A
series.

They're a long way off minimum power like the sort of chips powering
smart watches, although the Pi Zeros are a bit closer.

People with a lot of time on their hands have run Linux, sort of, on the
RP2350.
 
https://liliputing.com/you-can-run-a-minimal-linux-distro-on-raspberry-
pis-new-rp2350-microcontroller/

I wouldn't count running an emulator of another architecture and
loading Linux in that to be a practical solution. There's uCLinux
which runs without an MMU, but as I understand it a lot of typical
Linux software won't build for that environment.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%9CClinux

Choices will need to be made with the hardware design but I don't see the
software as being the limitation.

It's a two-way balancing game. If you're replacing an x86 laptop
running Linux ideally you want an ARM platform for which most
software will build without extensive patching. My impression is
that this requires an MMU, which rules out the Cortex Ms, but maybe
there are practical work-arounds?

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