A 65 nm uneven-dual-core SoC based platform for multi-device collaborative computing

Multiple mobile device-based collaborative computing emerges with the rapid proliferation of various smart mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, which provide always-on connectivity, information and communication. However, due to severe resource poverty and poor network connectivity, lots of traditional embedded electronic devices with attracting features cannot be incorporated into this computing paradigm conveniently. In this paper, an uneven-dual-core SoC, which integrates a CPU core and a MCU core on a single chip with multiple operating system support, is proposed to realize loosely-coupled multiple heterogeneous device collaboration. A network file system, MRFS (Multi-client Raindrop File System), and FAT-X (File Allocation Table eXtension) are also proposed to provide client-centric cross-device data consistency and virtual file access respectively. Comprehensive mobile services are enabled by offloading appropriate tasks from existing smart mobile devices to involved traditional embedded devices. The SoC is implemented onto a 16.65 mm² silicon with 65 nm CMOS technology. This paper also presents three typical applications to illustrate the universality and huge potential for innovative usage model of the proposed system.