Licensing Momentum Establishes ARM Mali Graphics Technology In The Mainstream

Unified graphics stack targets anything with a screen; 18 leading licensees already onboard

CAMBRIDGE, UK -- Jan. 07, 2008 -- ARM today announced that 18 ARM Partners are using products from its Mali™ graphics portfolio. ARM® Mali55™ and Mali200™ graphics processing units (GPUs) have been licensed by nine SoC vendors, including Micronas Inc., and Zoran (who have incorporated it into their APPROACH®5C multimedia processor), since their launch at 3GSM in 2007. In addition, the ARM Mali-JSR184™ 3D graphics engine has been licensed by nine leading OEM licensees including Samsung Electronics.

The sustained momentum among key OEMs and SoC vendors illustrates the flexible nature of the ARM Mali graphics processing architecture.  Three top tier SoC licensees of Mali200 will apply this cutting edge 2D and 3D graphics processing technology in cellular baseband, high-end applications processing, navigation devices and set-top box (STB) markets. High-quality graphics are no longer confined to games, with the ARM Mali portfolio extending to numerous 2D and 3D applications and on any device with a screen.

However, functions like web browsing and navigation on small screens are intensive pixel processing applications that require highly-integrated solutions. Hardware acceleration is a crucial piece of the graphics puzzle and OEMs are now looking to their SoC suppliers to deliver a more complete graphics stack, incorporating complimentary graphics software API add-ons such as JSR184, JSR226 shifting to JSR297 and JSR 287 during 2008 in order to complete the graphics solution. ARM is now well positioned to address these demands.

“Licensing momentum was strong during 2007 and we have seen a number of market-leading SoC vendors come onboard, combined with a material increase in OEM shipments of Mali-JSR184 technology. This has placed ARM in a unique position to engage both OEMs and their SoC suppliers to build visually exciting applications and services based upon a robust graphics stack,” said Michael Dimelow, director of marketing, Media Processing Division, ARM. “Much has been made of the need to replicate the desktop experience on portable devices and the ARM Mali graphics stack was developed with this consideration in mind and when combined with ARM’s business model will lower the barriers to broader adoption of high performance, low power graphics for all “screen based” product categories.”

The Mali ecosystem

ARM’s unified graphics stack strategy places ARM software IP at the heart of major OEM software teams and graphics hardware acceleration at the centre of SoC design teams. The ARM graphics ecosystem enables collaboration among market leaders to link the ARM platform with a community of complementary solutions to shape the future of the graphics industry. With more announcements due in 2008, ARM contributes its expertise as a processor, GPU and tools vendor to enable application developers and device manufacturers to create competitive and cutting-edge designs pre-silicon. This mutually beneficial cooperation provides device manufacturers and software developers with the differentiation necessary to lead in this competitive market.

About ARM Mali processors

The ARM Mali processors deliver brilliant 2D and 3D graphics with 4x and 16x full scene anti-aliasing (FSAA) to “smooth” otherwise jagged lines without any noticeable drop in performance. In addition to providing content developers with the state-of-the-art programmable features in OpenGL ES 2.0 Mali products also support SVG and Flash through OpenVG for improved text, navigation, UI and web-browsing experiences. Mali technology takes full advantage of the ARM AMBA®, CPU and fabric IP to deliver a powerful and complete graphics experience on mobile phones, PDAs and GPS devices, with sustained performance, very low power consumption and leading memory bandwidth usage for up to 1080p resolutions.

The ARM Mali55 graphics processor brings visually enhanced user interfaces, improved navigation experience and mobile gaming to the mass market by enabling graphics acceleration for low-cost feature phones. Measuring in at 1.0mm2 on a 65LP process, the Mali55 processor is the world’s smallest GPU for 2D and 3D graphics and brings unprecedented value to mobile phones where area comes at a premium. With full scene anti-aliasing up to 16x, the Mali55 processor can transform a VGA screen to resemble a high-cost SVGA system for UI and gaming. The Mali55 processor is fully compliant with both OpenGL ES v1.1 and OpenVG, further lowering integration costs for ARM silicon Partners.

Availability

The ARM Mali graphics stack is available today. Further information on ARM embedded graphics solutions is available at: http://www.arm.com/products/esd/multimediagraphics_home.html.

About ARM

ARM designs the technology that lies at the heart of advanced digital products, from wireless, networking and consumer entertainment solutions to imaging, automotive, security and storage devices. ARM’s comprehensive product offering includes 16/32-bit RISC microprocessors, data engines, graphics processors, digital libraries, embedded memories, peripherals, software and development tools, as well as analog functions and high-speed connectivity products. Combined with the company’s broad Partner community, they provide a total system solution that offers a fast, reliable path to market for leading electronics companies. More information on ARM is available at http://www.arm.com.