Adobe and ARM Accelerate Flash and AIR for ARM Platforms

SAN FRANCISCO & CAMBRIDGE, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) and ARM [(LSE:ARM); (Nasdaq:ARMH)] today announced a technology collaboration to optimize and enable Adobe® Flash® Player 10 and Adobe AIR™ for ARM Powered® devices, ranging from mobile phones to set-top boxes, mobile Internet devices, televisions, automotive platforms, personal media players and other mobile computing devices. The collaboration is expected to accelerate mobile graphics and video capabilities on ARM platforms to bring rich Internet applications and Web services to mobile devices and consumer electronics worldwide.

The joint technology optimization is targeted for the ARMv6 and ARMv7architectures used in the ARM11™ family and the Cortex™-A series of processors and is expected to be available in the second half of 2009. The partnership stems from the Open Screen Project, a broad Adobe sponsored initiative of industry leaders – including ARM – to deliver a consistent runtime environment across multiple devices by taking advantage of Adobe Flash Player and, in the future, Adobe AIR. The initiative is set to address the challenges of Web browsing on a broad range of screens, and remove the barriers to publish content and applications seamlessly across screens. For more information, visit www.openscreenproject.org.

“Video created for the Adobe Flash Player is the leading video format on the web today, and this collaboration with ARM is another important step towards bringing the complete web experience to mobile devices worldwide,” said Gary Kovacs, general manager and vice president, Mobile and Devices at Adobe. “We are pleased to work with ARM and the other industry leaders in the Open Screen Project, to make browsing and applications as rich and powerful in mobile as they are on the desktop.”

“ARM believes this partnership will develop optimized Adobe Flash and AIR implementations that will run on billions of devices from our partners such as pocket-sized mobile devices, mobile computing platforms, set-top boxes, digital TVs and automotive infotainment,” said Ian Drew, vice president, Marketing, at ARM. “The Adobe Flash Player enables consumers to enjoy games, movies, animation and interactivity on the Web. The combination of Adobe Flash and ARM’s low-power processor IP and Mali™ GPUs will ensure a fantastic Internet experience for consumers on the world’s leading 32-bit architecture.”

Broad support from industry-leading companies

“Mobile users deserve a richer, faster Web experience with extended battery life. ARM technology together with Broadcom's low power VideoCore multimedia processor will turbo charge Adobe Flash Player 10 and Adobe AIR performance using OpenGL ES 2.0 and other open standards,” said Mark Casey, vice president and general manager of Broadcom's mobile multimedia business unit. “The Adobe ARM initiative is an exciting opportunity for Broadcom to enhance the consumer experience on mobile and consumer devices.”

“The ARM architecture is poised for explosive growth among mobile Internet centric devices and into the consumer Netbook market,” said Glen Burchers, director of Global Consumer Marketing for Freescale, “The addition of Flash Player 10 and Adobe AIR optimized to ARM with support for HW acceleration is a significant move toward this end. Freescale intends to fully support this exciting combination.”

“NVIDIA is working with ARM and Adobe to ensure Adobe Flash technology takes full advantage of NVIDIA Tegra computer-on-a-chip solutions through open standards such as OpenGL ES 2.0,” said Michael Rayfield, general manager of NVIDIA's mobile business. “ARM CPU technology, tightly integrated with NVIDIA's ultra-low-power GeForce GPUs and media acceleration, enhances the ability of Adobe Flash technology to provide the full Web experience and compelling user interfaces in the palm of your hand.”

“Samsung looks forward to having Flash Player 10 and AIR fully supported on our range of optimized ARM technology-based Application Processors and SoC products,” said Yiwan Wong, vice president of marketing, Samsung Electronics’ System LSI Division. “This initiative will enable Flash Player 10 content to be accessible by any ARM technology-based consumer devices with a screen and connectivity, and at very low power consumption, offering consumers the ultimate mobile Internet experience beyond what is available today on standard PC platforms.”

“Texas Instruments is excited to support Flash Player 10 which will deliver advanced features such as no-compromise Internet experience on OMAP 3 processors,” said Raj Talluri, general manager, Texas Instruments. “The addition of Flash Player 10 to TI’s portfolio builds on its history of creating platforms that provide exceptional performance running Adobe Flash technology. Leveraging the OMAP 3 platform’s SoC architecture and foundation software enables TI’s customers to develop a variety of differentiated products for markets such as smartphones, mobile Internet devices, netbooks and other portable consumer electronics devices that will deliver laptop-like functionality without sacrificing power consumption, performance or cost.”

ARM technology powers billions of electronic devices today, including the vast majority of smartphones, mobile Internet devices, set-top boxes, digital TVs, portable navigation and personal media devices. The agreement will enable ARM and Adobe to deliver an optimized Adobe Flash Player 10 for the ARM architecture as well as industry-standard API support for GPUs and hardware accelerators. The collaboration is also expected to lower power consumption for mobile devices running Flash Player 10 and AIR content.

Adobe Flash Player 10 for ARMv6 and ARMv7 architecture-based hardware is expected to be available royalty-free to partners participating in the Open Screen Project. Flash Player 10 for ARM processor-based devices will be made available to OEMs by Adobe.

About Adobe Systems Incorporated

Adobe revolutionizes how the world engages with ideas and information - anytime, anywhere and through any medium. For more information, visit www.adobe.com.

About ARM

ARM designs the technology that lies at the heart of advanced digital products, from wireless, networking and consumer entertainment solutions to imaging, automotive, security and storage devices. ARM’s comprehensive product offering includes 32-bit RISC microprocessors, graphics processors, enabling software, cell libraries, embedded memories, high-speed connectivity products, peripherals and development tools. Combined with comprehensive design services, training, support and maintenance, and the company’s broad partner community, they provide a total system solution that offers a fast, reliable path to market for leading electronics companies. More information on ARM is available at www.arm.com.

© 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved. Adobe, the Adobe logo, Flash and Adobe AIR are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

ARM and ARM Powered are registered trademarks of ARM Limited. Cortex and ARM11 are trademarks of ARM Limited. All other brands or product names are the property of their respective holders. ARM is used to represent ARM Holdings plc; its operating company ARM Limited; and the regional subsidiaries: ARM, Inc.; ARM KK; ARM Korea Ltd.; ARM Taiwan Limited; ARM France SAS; ARM Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.; ARM Belgium N.V.; AXYS Design Automation Inc.; ARM Germany GmbH; ARM Embedded Technologies Pvt. Ltd.; and ARM Norway, AS.