Imagination working with TSMC in optimizing its IP libraries

Imagination Technologies and TSMC partnered in achieving 25% overall performance improvement for the PowerVR Series6 GPU core, and key blocks demonstrating 30% improvement compared to existing design flows. 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 says by leveraging extensive analysis of factors affecting performance, Imagination is taping out a highly optimised next-generation multi-core, multi-cluster PowerVR Series6 GPU design to characterise these performance improvements and plans to demonstrate a test chip later this year. Says Tony King-Smith, Imagination EVP marketing: “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. 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. 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.” “Imagina...