Google's Gale Powered By Qualcomm Added To Coreboot

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Google's Gale Powered By Qualcomm Added To Coreboot

Topping off a lot of Google code landing in Coreboot in recent days for Chromebooks is support for another Google device and as part of that support for a Qualcomm SoC...

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Google-Gale-IPQ40XX

[hetzbh]

I hope that they created a whole new chip. the IPQ 40x8/40x9 (see here: https://www.qualcomm.com/media/docum...duct-brief.pdf ) is really a low end chip (ARM A7..) for routers and IoT so it's hard to imagine that it will run ChromeOS.

[Min1123]

I hope that they created a whole new chip. the IPQ 40x8/40x9 (see here: https://www.qualcomm.com/media/docum...duct-brief.pdf ) is really a low end chip (ARM A7..) for routers and IoT so it's hard to imagine that it will run ChromeOS.

I think in conjunction, if it is this, there is an LCD controller, but it doesn't seem to have any GPU or video decode on it. It does have audio outputs and networking though. Maybe this is a new audio device? Or maybe they're using the PCI-e for an external GPU? I'd think probably audio though.

[robclark]

Phoronix: Google's Gale Powered By Qualcomm Added To Coreboot

Topping off a lot of Google code landing in Coreboot in recent days for Chromebooks is support for another Google device and as part of that support for a Qualcomm SoC...

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?pag...e-Gale-IPQ40XX

ipqXXXX are the "internet processor" SoC's (basically network/router/etc), for example ipq8064 was used in:

https://www.qualcomm.com/news/onq/2015/08/26/google-onhub-router-powered-qualcomm

so probably not a chromebook (although a snapdragon chromebook would be nice)

[linuxjacques]

Maybe a new "OnHub" ?

[meekteef]

Probably a SOC for Google's OnHub router. Their routers run on ChromeOS.

[elapsed]

Do any Chromebook owners know if these machines are actually sold using Coreboot or if Google just likes giving people the ability to use Coreboot as an option?

[droidhacker]

This is definitely NOT for a chromebook. I'm going to go out on a limb and figure that michael/phoronix saw a bunch of chromebook stuff going on in coreboot and assumed (yeah... ass.u.me) that it was related. *IF* a chromebook was to ship with a Qualcomm, it would be either an APQ or an MSM chip, likely a Snapdragon 820 or similar.

Those saying "onhub" are most likely in the right ballpark. While not necessarily another router (and lets face it, an ipq40xx wouldn't be an upgrade over the current ipq80xx), google has been known to get into some really strange business, like thermostats.

[pgeorgi]

Do any Chromebook owners know if these machines are actually sold using Coreboot or if Google just likes giving people the ability to use Coreboot as an option?

Since about 2013, every Chromebook, -box, -base, and -bit is shipping with coreboot. Older models are less homogeneous (because coreboot wasn't completely ported yet).

Also, all these devices have the same scheme with a part of the flash set to read-only (to provide robust recovery) and a hardware override to enable owners to install something different, as well as dev-mode, which is kind of a middle-road: unbreakable firmware, but instead of signature verification a warning screen on boot, so users can see that the device was tampered with.

[chithanh]

AFAIK, Chromecast doesn't use Coreboot though.

The current ARM Chromebooks are based on RockChip RK3288, and the upcoming ones on Mediatek MT8173. I don't think the Snapdragons can offer cost advantages over those, though Freedreno might be an argument for Qualcomm and against RockChip/Mediatek.

As the commit indicates, the code for the new board is derived from "storm" which is a router board.

https://www.chromium.org/chromium-os/developer-information-for-chrome-os-devices