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Google’s newest mobile OS “Android 4.0″ has lots of improvements to the UI and guts of the system.  However, one thing many people don’t know that the new OS combined with newer ARM systems enables one additional exciting feature:  GPU computing with the RenderScript API.  Alone that’s impressive, but combined with some of the unique hardware features it could really prove amazing.  Check out the new memory and cache system supported on the new Mali-T604 (Rumored to be the guts of Samsung’s upcoming products):

The ARM Mali-T604 GPU is designed to work with the latest version (4) of the AMBA (Advanced Microcontroller Bus Architecture) which features Cache Coherent Interconnect (CCI). Data shared between processors in the system, a natural occurrence in heterogeneous computing, no longer requires costly (in terms of cycles and energy) synchronization via external memory and explicit cache maintenance operations. All of this is now performed in hardware, and is enabled transparently inside the drivers. In addition to reduced memory traffic, CCI avoids superfluous sharing of data: only data genuinely requested by another master is transferred to it, to the granularity of a cache line. No need to flush a whole buffer or data structure anymore.

These memory flush’es are one of the worst things of modern GPU & GPGPU systems:  One little branch conditional can destroy your performance.  In addition, every time you have to flush your data back to main memory, or load memory into the GPU, that’s a lengthy and performance-killing operation if done often.  These new unified designs have the potential to nullify the impact of these operations, making GPU programming closer to CPU programming than ever before.

via GPU Computing in Android? With ARM Mali-T604 & RenderScript Compute You Can! – ARM Community.

Hardware android, arm, gpgpu

NVidia has really put a lot of emphasis on their upcoming ARM Tegra system codenamed “Kal-El”, and has slowly been leaking technical details over the last few months.  The latest tidbit came out earlier today: Details of the “fifth core” of the new design.

“Our next-generation Tegra processor, codenamed “Project Kal-El,” is widely known as the world’s first quad-core mobile chip. Today, we’re unveiling Kal-El’s little-known fifth core in two new whitepapers that detail its “Variable SMP” architecture.” said NVIDIA’s Matt Wuebbling on a blog post on the company’s website. “This extra core – which we call the “companion core” – runs at a lower frequency and operates at exceptionally low power. During less power-hungry tasks like web reading, music playback and video playback, Kal-El completely powers down its four performance-tuned cores and instead uses its fifth companion core. For higher performance tasks, Kal-El disables its companion core and turns on its four performance cores, one at a time, as the work load increases.”

So essentially they’ve added a 5th “idle” core to the system, one that operates at super-low power and has just enough horsepower to keep the system running and able to power up more powerful cores as needed.  This will be great for systems with a high idle time (like their mentioned websurfing and email) where the overwhelming bulk of time is just spent waiting for the user to do something.

via NVIDIA Reveals Kal-El’s Fifth “Companion” CPU Core – HotHardware.

Hardware arm, nvidia, tegra

Last year, NVIDIA told the world about its upcoming GPUs in 2011 and 2013. These GPUs are codenamed Kepler and Maxwell, respectively. Kepler will be released sometime in 2011, and will be manufactured on a 28nm process. Kepler would be approximately 2.7 times faster than the Fermi C2070.

The follow-on GPU to Kepler will be the Maxwell. Maxwell will be released sometime in 2013, and will be manufactured on a 22nm process. Maxwell is approximately 7.6 times faster than the Fermi C2070.

NVIDIA has also told us about Project Denver, which combines a GPU and an ARM CPU in one. The question is, when will that be available? Will it be on Kepler, or will it be on Maxwell? Hexus.net has provided the answer in an interview with NVIDIA’s Tegra General Manager, Mike Rayfield .

Lastly we asked about Project Denver: the surprising announcement that NVIDIA will be designing a CPU in partnership with ARM, with a view to using it in high-end computers. We asked Rayfield to elaborate.

“As well as licensing Cortex A15, we also have an architectural license with ARM to produce an extremely high performance ARM CPU, which be combined with NVIDA GPUs for super-computing,” he said. When we asked for timescales, Rayfield revealed: “The Maxwell generation will be the first end-product using Project Denver. This is a far greater resource investment for us than just licensing a design.”

Hexus also speculates that NVIDIA may launch Tegra 3 at Mobile World Congress next month. Tegra is, of course, a system-on-a-chip developed for mobile devices such as smartphones

via : Exclusive: NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 primed for MWC launch @ Hexus.net

Hardware arm, cpu, denver, gpgpu, gpu, hpc, maxwell, nvidia

NVidia has today announced a new project codenamed “Project Denver” that looks to steal back a bit of the mojo Intel and AMD have packed into their Sandy Bridge and Fusion products.  Combining their previous Tegra expertise with ARM processors, they’re looking to develop their own compute core that can work on anything from Mobile Phones to Supercomputers.

This new processor stems from a strategic partnership, also announced today, in which NVIDIA has obtained rights to develop its own high performance CPU cores based on ARM’s future processor architecture. In addition, NVIDIA licensed ARM’s current Cortex™-A15 processor for its future-generation Tegra® mobile processors.

It’s an ambition gamble, but they are sharing a mindset with Steve Jobs here:  The future of computers isn’t in desktops, but rather in “the cloud”: High-speed access from small portable devices to bigger computational assets elsewhere.

Now, if they can just convince all those “clouds” to run ARM.. You know, the clouds made of lots of computers.  hrm..

via NVIDIA Newsroom.

Hardware arm, nvidia, tegra

I’ve already updated the source article, but yesterday’s story about the Apple A4 processor being an ARM Cortex A9 & Mali is incorrect, it seems. I’ve been contacted by a very reputable source that it’s something different, although the exact details are being withheld for just a few more days.  They assure me they will publish the information soon, and I’ll share it with you guys then.

Just posting it here for main-page readers and RSS Subscribers.

Hardware, Website apple, arm, ipad

BSN has the inside scoop on the “Apple A4″ processor included in the new Apple iPad, and reveals that it’s actually the ARM Cortex-A9 coupled with their ARM Mali GPU, all clocked at a smooth 1Ghz.

A4 is a System-on-a-Chip, or SOC, that integrates the main processor [ARM Cortex-A9, identical to ones used in nVidia Tegra and Qualcomm Snapdragon] with graphics silicon [ARM Mali GPU], and other functions like the memory controller on one piece of silicon

The 1Ghz is the sweet spot of the processor, which can technically go all the way to 1.3Ghz with additional cooling support.  This would be the main reason everyone says it’s so “snappy” and responsive, as the existing iPhone 3GS processor runs at only 0.6Ghz.  Also, this means it isn’t really an “Apple Chip”, just a regular ARM chip.

This makes it very similar to the NVidia Tegra solution (the same ARM processor), and many others. No details on which of the Mali chips is used internally tho.

UPDATE: 1/29/2010 I’ve just been informed from a very reputable source that this is incorrect.  This makes the 3rd bad article from BSN lately (ORNL dumps Fermi, then Blames it on Heat, now this), so I’m going to start taking their information with a grain of salt from now on.  The actual details will be published from my source in a few days, and I’ll cover it then for you.

Update 2/1/2010: A new story with more accurate information reports the Cortex A9 & an SGX353 make the Apple A4.

via Apple A4 SOC unveiled – It’s an ARM CPU and the GPU! – Bright Side Of News*.

Hardware apple, arm, ipad

Another find from Computex came at the Keynote this morning from ARM CEO Warren East.  Describing modern netbooks are actually being overpowered from what users want, he describe ARM’s offering (announced at Computex) using their Cortex A9 processor and Mali400 graphics, with 3G WWAN connectivity and GPS.  They also showed a short “future concept” clip where all of this could be integrated into a flexible pull-out screen with location aware visualization integrated.

See the video after the break.

Read more…

Hardware arm, computex, concept, conference, netbooks, video

Mobile News Direct has news that ARM, maker of mobile chipsets, is preparing a new graphics chip for mobile devices with some pretty impressive claims:

Remi Pedersen, graphics product manager at ARM, promises Xbox 360 standard 3D graphics. The chip will be ideal for 3D gaming and will feautre a OpenGL ES 2.0, a desktop code that removes cluttered code. The new chip retains vertex and pixel shaders to add extra depth to the resolution. Able to run Flash and Java based games, it runs at 16 million triangles/second and 275 million pixels/second.

They also says it’s multicore capable, up to quad-core at 300Mhz, and support 1080p resolution.

ARM bring Xbox 360 Graphics to your mobile.

Hardware arm