ARM Leads GPU Computing Trend, Improving Systems Performance and Energy-Efficiency

August 3, 2012

ARM submits ARM® Mali™-T604 GPU for Full Profile OpenCL Conformance

What: The submission of the ARM® Mali™-T604 graphics processing unit (GPU) for OpenCL™ 1.1 Full Profile conformance with Khronos*. ARM is the first GPU Intellectual Property (IP) supplier to submit conformance for Full Profile OpenCL, bringing desktop GPU computing features to the mobile, embedded and smart-TV markets.

This will help bring visual computing to life by providing developers with a consistent and effective platform on which to build their designs, and tangible benefits to the end user in terms of improved performance and battery life of their devices.

GPU computing is a trend where the computational performance of the GPU, historically used for graphics, is harnessed to augment the main processor (or CPU) for certain applications where the GPU architecture will be more effective. The result is improved performance and energy-efficiency and a more efficient use of the system as a whole, making computational photography, computer vision, advanced imaging, point-of-interest extraction and augmented reality possible because of the extended processing capacity.

The Open Computing Language (OpenCL) is an important open standard programming framework for portable, parallel computation that enables the CPU and GPU in a system to work faster and more efficiently together.

Why: The Mali-T600 Series of GPUs have been designed from the outset for GPU computing, including full support for work-groups and synchronization barriers. Building on a scalable multicore, multi-pipeline architecture design, the Mali-T600 Series GPU includes a number of advanced features. In particular, native scalar and vector operations for OpenCL's integer and floating point data types (including 64-bit); support for static and dynamic compilation; hardware accelerated image and sampler data types; fast atomic operations and compliance to IEEE754-2008 precision requirements.

More information about OpenCL 1.1 Full Profile and ARM Mali GPUs.

* Product is based on a published Khronos Specification, and is expected to pass the Khronos Conformance Testing Process. Current conformance status can be found at www.khronos.org/conformance

When: 2nd August 2012

Where: Globally

Who: ARM designs the technology that is 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 RISC microprocessors, graphics processors, video engines, enabling software, cell libraries, embedded memories, high-speed connectivity products, peripherals and development tools. Combined with comprehensive design services, training, support and maintenance, and the company’s broad Partner community, they provide a total system solution that offers a fast, reliable path to market for leading electronics companies. Find out more about ARM by following these links:

ARM website: http://www.arm.com/