PowerVR mobile graphics chips boosted by 16nm finfets

Imagination Technologies says  it is working with foundry TSMC to raise performance of its PowerVR graphics chips.

The UK-based processor firm says it has already achieved 25% overall performance improvement for the PowerVR Series6 graphics processor core, and some ”key blocks demonstrating as much as 30% improvement compared to existing design flows,” said Imagination.

Imagination R&D teams working with TSMC are developing highly-optimised IP libraries and fully characterised reference system designs for Imagination’s IP cores on TSMC’s advanced processes including 28HPM and 16nm finfet technologies.

Imagination is taping out a multi-core, multi-cluster PowerVR Series6 GPU design to characterise these performance improvements and plans to demonstrate a test chip later this year.

“The growing reliance on graphics processors to power the best user experiences means the GPU has become the new silicon process driver for the coming decade,” said Tony King-Smith, Imagination executive v-p marketing.

“It occupies as much as 50% or more of leading edge SoCs, and demands the highest performance memory bandwidth while always delivering high performance at low power,” said King-Smith.

“These characteristics are critical to defining the key device parameters of future generation processes. We’re delighted to be working closely with TSMC to ensure future silicon technologies are fully tuned to the needs of next generation’s most advanced SoCs.”

“Imagination is constantly pushing the envelope in graphics technologies, including exciting new areas such as ray tracing that will help its customers gain maximum benefit from power-efficient silicon processes,” says Suk Lee, TSMC senior director, Design Infrastructure Marketing Division.

“Our collaboration with Imagination is helping to optimise future generations of our most advanced process technologies and system design techniques. We are looking forward to the continued expansion of our relationship with Imagination to encompass GPUs, CPUs and more.”

Imagination is a member of TSMC’s Soft-IP Alliance program, through which it is validating its major core IP families to provide the most optimised technologies for mutual customers.

Courtesy of:

Richard Wilson

Electronics Weekly

http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/components/microprocessors-and-dsps/imagination-ups-performance-of-powervr-with-tsmc-2013-08/