Cavium Collaborates with the Fedora Project to Support Project Thunder 64-bit ARMv8 Processors

SAN JOSE, Calif., Jan. 31, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Cavium, Inc. (NASDAQ: CAVM), a leading provider of highly integrated semiconductor products that enable intelligent processing for networking, communications and the digital home, today announced the Project Thunder software development platform kit (SDK) and collaboration with the Fedora Project to support 64-bit ARM^®v8 systems in a future Fedora release. The Fedora Project is a Red Hat, Inc-sponsored community which produces the open source Linux distribution known as Fedora. The Project Thunder SDK will be used by independent software vendors (ISVs), data center and cloud vendors to develop software for 64-bit systems based on ARMv8.

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The Project Thunder SDK offers application programmers a platform to start developing their software for Project Thunder 64-bit ARMv8 processors. It offers the Linux operating system, toolchain and example applications that will enable ISVs and programmers to start distributed-computing development on the latest 64-bit ARMv8 architecture. Additionally, a variety of applications can be ported to scale workloads and execute them on thousands of cores and virtual machines. These applications include, but are not limited to, web frontends, enterprise data integration and messaging middleware, data center and cloud management.

The Project Thunder SDK offers a complete ARMv8 development environment, and provides programmers access to cache coherent 64-bit ARMv8 CPU cores, interrupt controller, network connectivity, mass storage interface, timers, System Memory Management Unit (SMMU) and console. It comes equipped with all device drivers and utilities required for platform components including a cross-developmental platform enabling programmers to write their own applications or build third party packages for Thunder and a Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) compliant firmware used to boot OS images.

The Fedora Project recently unveiled Fedora 18, the latest version of its free, open source operating system distribution, nicknamed "Spherical Cow." 32-bit ARM processor support has been included in the Fedora 18 distribution since its Beta release, providing a robust set of features, including installable pre-built system images, network boot support, and a yum repository of software updates in RPM format. Red Hat engineers, in conjunction with the broader Fedora community, are working on 64-bit ARMv8 processor support and have made initial images available for testing. Full Fedora distribution support for 64-bit ARMv8 will follow in a later release.

"Building on our history of rapid innovation, we are enabling initial support for emerging 64-bit ARMv8 processors such as Project Thunder in the Fedora Project," said Jon Masters, Chief ARM Architect at Red Hat. "During our initial testing, the Project Thunder SDK demonstrated stability, scalability and performance that should make it an important component of the ARM 64-bit ecosystem's development efforts. We look forward to continued collaboration with Cavium, even ahead of silicon availability."

"Project Thunder will offer an innovative system-on-chip (SoC) that will redefine performance, power and cost metrics for the next-generation cloud and datacenter markets," said Amer Haider, Vice President Corporate and Business Development, Cavium. "We are excited to work with the Fedora Project to enable application development for Project Thunder SoCs."

Availability:
The Project Thunder SDK is currently available for selected partners. ISVs and application programmers interested in access can apply for an invitation by completing the form at: http://www.cavium.com/thundersdk_access_application.html

About Project Thunder:
Project Thunder provides a scalable family of 64-bit ARMv8 processors incorporated into a highly differentiated SoC architecture optimized for cloud and datacenter applications. The family of SoCs will integrate high-performance compute, networking, security, storage along with targeted workload application acceleration and high-speed industry standard IOs. Project Thunder processors will provide significantly better price, performance and power value proposition over alternative solutions for target applications. For more information contact us at: http://cavium.com/processor_Project_Thunder.html

ARM is registered trademark of ARM Limited
Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the United States and other countries.

About Cavium
Cavium is a leading provider of highly integrated semiconductor products that enable intelligent processing in networking, communications and the digital home. Cavium offers a broad portfolio of integrated, software compatible processors ranging in performance from 10 Mbps to over 100 Gbps that enable secure, intelligent functionality in enterprise, data-center, broadband/consumer and access & service provider equipment. Cavium's processors are supported by ecosystem partners that provide operating systems, tool support, reference designs and other services. Cavium's principal offices are in San Jose, California with design team locations in California, Massachusetts, India and China. For more information, please visit: http://www.cavium.com

Note on Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements regarding future events that involve risks and uncertainties. Readers are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are only predictions and may differ materially from actual future events or results. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions and current expectations. Our actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions. The risks and uncertainties that could cause our results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements include but are not limited to Cavium's ability to design, develop, manufacture, assemble and test Project Thunder products and technologies; Cavium's ability to forecast market demand, future technological developments and implementation factors for Project Thunder products, including the Project Thunder SDK; Cavium's ability to penetrate new product markets; competition in performance, price and other product factors in Cavium's current and future product markets; whether Cavium is successful in marketing its products; and other risks and uncertainties described more fully in our documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. More information about these and other risks that may impact Cavium's business are set forth in the "Risk Factors" section of our Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 7, 2012. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to us as of the date hereof and qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement, and we assume no obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements.

SOURCE Cavium, Inc.