IMS: CPU and GPU in a single chip contribute
major share of $111B 2011 processor revenue
IMS Research has reported half of the $111 billion processor
market was generated by hybrid processors that included
two or more different types of processor cores, most notable
of these is the 2010 introduction of the combined central
processing unit (CPU) and graphics processing unit (GPU)
by both Intel and AMD.
"Through the last decade the mobile and media consumption
device markets have been pivotal for this hybridization
trend; Apple, Broadcom, Marvell, MediaTek, NVidia, Qualcomm,
Samsung, St Ericsson, Texas Instruments and many other processor
vendors have been offering heterogeneous application-specific
processors with a microprocessor core integrating a GPU
to add value within extremely confined parameters of space,
power and cost," says Tom Hackenberg, semiconductors
research manager and author of the Comprehensive Processor
Report .
Hackenberg continues: "With double digit revenue growth
in these markets, it's not surprising to see major processor
vendors such as AMD and Intel adopting this strategy to
compete for computer market share and expending increasing
research and development on embedded solutions. This hybridization
is getting even more competitive with an Intel Atom-based
smartphone on the market this month demonstrating that Intel
is serious about entering the mobile device market by combining
an x86 microprocessor, graphics licensed from NVidia and
configurable security logic as a hybrid processor triple
play to capture share."
Semiconductor providers are turning to hybrid processors
as just one of many complementary technologies for increasing
system level performance and adding processor value. IMS
Research has identified no less than 20 processor vendors
that now provide dozens of heterogeneous processing solutions
on a single chip.
Converging processors have been evolving over time such
as the digital signal controller, a convergence of DSPs
and MCUs with the real-time processing performance of a
DSP and an expanded instruction set for controller applications.
In configurable processors, historically those found in
FPGAs, processor vendors such as Xilinx, Altera, Microsemi
and Cypress Semiconductor are actively targeting SoC ecosystems
with an embedded processor core identical to and applications
processor or microcontroller but enhanced with configurable
logic.
"This trend is growing and spreading. Other processor
vendors are now including application specific configurable
logic," Hackenberg adds. "Intel's Z2460 mobile
processor includes a configurable security engine; Analog
Devices' BF60x DSP targets the anticipated high-growth market
of embedded vision with a signal processing SoC that includes
configurable logic specifically accelerating vision applications
acceleration."
. "If processor suppliers are going to continue meeting
performance expectations set by Moore's Law, clearly this
is a necessary trend. Future processors may be less marketable
by their top-end frequency and more by their application
specific cores," says Hackenberg.
For more info: http://www.imsresearch.com
Author: Srinivasa Reddy N
