The Linaro Group, a non-profit engineering organization dedicated to the development of Linux on ARM technology, announced the addition of LG Electronics to their member list in press release this week. For those of you unfamiliar with Linaro, the group has over 120 engineers working on “consolidating and optimizing open source software for the ARM architecture, including developer tools, the Linux kernel, ARM power management, and other software infrastructure.”
LG joins the group in the capacity of providing cooperation with existing Linaro Group members and as a member of the Technical Steering Committee (TSC), which directs the organizations goals and achievements. Linaro works completely open-source, and all of their development information is available online at all times, a structure that often leads to greater innovation and a more robust end-user experience, as opposed to the closed environment promoted by some developers and manufacturers.
If you’re unfamiliar with ARM technology, all you need to do is crack open your smartphone and look inside. If you’re not that curious then take our word that much of the mobile technology you use on a daily basis is ARM based. Intel, ARM’s primary competitor, is looking to break into the mobile market at the same time that ARM is looking to break into the desktop and laptop markets. As of mid-2011 over 1.1 billion mobile devices were using ARM technology, and many analysts speculate that despite Intel’s massive size, it will have difficulty competing with a system that licenses its technology instead of manufacturing it directly.
Linaro builds on that technology by developing Linux-based software and solutions for ARM technology. By brining in multiple big name players in the mobile industry the group hopes to achieve faster development times and more optimized Linux and Android software. Bo-ik Sohn, Senior Vice President for LG Electronics R&D Lab issued a statement about joining The Linaro Group:
“We are pleased to join Linaro as its newest member…We will take an active role in the organization and actively cooperate on new ARM technologies with other Linaro members.”
Linaro CEO George Gray responded:
“We are very pleased to welcome LG Electronics as a Linaro member…With Linaro continuing to enable shared member investment on consolidation and optimization of Linux and Android on ARM, as well as working on new ARM technologies such as big.LITTLE and next-generation 64-bit devices, we are excited to have LG Electronics working closely with us.”
The full text of the press release:
Consumer electronics leader LG Electronics and Linaro, the not-for-profit engineering organization develop-ing open source soft-ware for the ARM architecture, today announced that LG will join Linaro to cooperate on new ARM technologies.
LG will contribute resources to work together with the resources from existing Linaro members. This shared team of over 100 engineers is directed by a Technical Steering Committee (TSC), which now includes LG. Through the TSC, Linaro members are de-fining the future of Linux on ARM. Accelerated time to market for new ARM technologies is achieved by working together within Linaro on shared solutions, while focusing members’ in-house engineering resources on differentiation.
Linaro uses a unique business model where multiple companies create core open source software once with a shared investment in a single software engineering team, rather than by creating multiple, fragmented software solutions in isolation. Membership delivers an immediate return on investment as new members get immediate access to a significant engineering team.
“We are pleased to join Linaro as its newest member,” said Bo-ik Sohn, Senior Vice President for LG Electronics R&D Lab. “We will take an active role in the organization and actively cooperate on new ARM technologies with other Linaro members.”
“We are very pleased to welcome LG Electronics as a Linaro member,” said George Grey, Linaro CEO. “With Linaro continuing to enable shared member investment on consolidation and optimization of Linux and Android on ARM, as well as working on new ARM technologies such as big.LITTLE and next-generation 64-bit devices, we are excited to have LG Electronics working closely with us.”
About LG Electronics, Inc.
LG Electronics, Inc. (KSE: 066570.KS) is a global leader and technology innovator in con-sumer electronics, mobile communications and home appliances. With 117 operations around the world, LG achieved global sales of USD 49 billion (KRW 54.26 trillion) in 2011. LG comprises four business units – Home Entertainment, Mobile Communications, Home Appliance, and Air Conditioning & Energy Solution – and is one of the world’s leading pro-ducers of flat panel TVs, mobile devices, air conditioners, washing machines and refrigerators. LG Electronics is a 2012 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year. For more news and information on LG Electronics, please visit http://www.LGnewsroom.com.
About Linaro
Linaro is the place where engineers from the world’s leading technology companies define the future of Linux on ARM. The company is a not-for-profit engineering organization with over 120 engineers working on consolidating and optimizing open source software for the ARM architecture, including developer tools, the Linux kernel, ARM power management, and other software infrastructure. Linaro is distribution neutral: it wants to provide the best soft-ware foundations to everyone, and to reduce non-differentiating and costly low level frag-mentation.
To ensure commercial quality software, Linaro’s work includes comprehensive test and validation on member hardware platforms. The full scope of Linaro’s engineering work is open to all online. To find out more, please visit http://www.linaro.org.
Source: Linaro Group