Quad core chips for mobile devices arriving in 2012

Leaked Samsung documents today confirm that multiple iterations of 1Ghz+ mobile CPUs are scheduled for mass production in the next few years. Included within the leaked roadmap is a 1.2Ghz quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 chip scheduled for a 2012/13 release.

The EETimes is reporting that the leaked document indicates that Samsung might be contemplating a switch from Intel to ARM chips for their low cost netbooks. Such a move would require a different operating system though (such as Android or Chrome OS), as Windows is x86-based. Samsung currently only incorporates ARM chips in their mobile devices and A/V equipment.

Here’s the full leaked roadmap:

2010

* Taurus, 1 GHz Cortex-A8 (single core)

2011

* Mercury, 600 MHz Cortex-A5 (single core)
* Orion, 800 MHz Cortex-A9 (dual core)
* Pegasus, 1 GHz Cortex-A9 (single core)
* Hercules, 1 Ghz Cortex-A9 (dual core)

2012/13

* Venus, 600 MHz Cortex-A5 (dual core)
* Draco, 1.2 GHz Cortex-A9 (dual core)
* Aquila, 1.2 GHz Cortex-A9 (quad core)