Imagination rolls out new ‘Heterogeneous Inside and Out’ MIPS CPU
13 October 2016 - 1:00AM
Imagination Technologies (IMG.L) announces the new MIPS Warrior
I-class I6500 CPU, a multi-threaded, multi-core, multi-cluster
design that delivers new levels of system efficiency and scalable
computing for many-core heterogeneous designs. Target applications
include advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous
vehicles, networking, drones, industrial automation, security,
video analytics, machine learning, and others which increasingly
rely on heterogeneous computing.
Today’s heterogeneous SoC designs require a mix of
high-performance CPU clusters and GPU or accelerator clusters all
processing common datasets. The I6500 provides a highly scalable
solution which can coherently implement optimized configurations of
CPU cores within a cluster (‘Heterogeneous Inside’) as well as a
variety of configurations of CPU clusters and GPU or accelerator
clusters on a chip depending on the requirements of the system
(‘Heterogeneous Outside’).
Says Jim Nicholas, EVP MIPS Processor IP, Imagination: “With the
I6500 we are setting a new standard for scalable, heterogeneous
many-core designs – and providing a highly differentiated solution
for visionary companies that want to transform markets. One of
these visionary companies is Mobileye, which is leading the way in
ADAS and autonomous driving technologies with advanced, proven
technology that continually pushes the envelope of innovation.”
The I6500 CPU will be at the heart of heterogeneous coherent
processing clusters in Mobileye’s next-generation EyeQ®5 SoC, which
is designed to act as the central computer performing sensor fusion
for Fully Autonomous Driving (FAD) vehicles starting in 2020. The
EyeQ5® will feature eight multi-threaded MIPS CPU cores coherently
coupled with eighteen cores of Mobileye’s Vision Processors (VPs).
The VPs provide exceptional computing power within extremely low
power budgets by combining Mobileye’s broad range of algorithms for
mono/multi-camera driver assistance/ autonomous systems, supported
by its special vision accelerators and Imagination’s MIPS CPUs for
ultra-efficient, real-time processing and control.
Elchanan Rushinek, SVP engineering, Mobileye, says:
“Imagination’s multi-threaded MIPS CPUs have helped us achieve
performance increases of more than 6x with each successive
generation of EyeQ® SoCs. Now with the EyeQ5® we are looking at an
8x increase. The combination of Mobileye’s VPs and MIPS CPUs
enables us to provide unrivalled computing power on a single
processor while maintaining a very low power budget, and the
hardware virtualization capability in the I6500 CPUs provides a
solid foundation for an open software platform with multiple
operating systems.”
Inside the MIPS I6500 CPU The MIPS I6500 CPU is
a 64-bit, multi-threaded, multi-core, multi-cluster CPU that is
scalable from embedded to cloud. Key features include:
- Heterogeneous Inside: In a single cluster,
designers can optimize power consumption with the ability to
configure each CPU with different combinations of threads,
different cache sizes, different frequencies, and even different
voltage levels.
- Heterogeneous Outside: The latest MIPS
Coherence Manager with an AMBA® ACE interface to popular ACE
coherent fabric solutions such as those from Arteris and Netspeed
lets designers mix on a chip configurations of processing clusters
– including PowerVR GPUs or other accelerators – for high system
efficiency.
- Simultaneous Multi-threading (SMT): Based on a
superscalar dual issue design implemented across generations of
MIPS CPUs, this proven feature enables execution of multiple
instructions from multiple threads every clock cycle, providing
higher utilization and CPU efficiency.
- Hardware virtualization (VZ): I6500 builds on
the real time hardware virtualization capability pioneered in the
MIPS I6400 core. Designers can save costs by safely and securely
consolidating multiple CPU cores with a single core, save power
where multiple cores are required, and dynamically and
deterministically allocate CPU bandwidth per application.
- SMT + VZ: The combination of SMT with VZ in
the I6500 offers “zero context switching” for applications
requiring real-time response. This feature, alongside the provision
of scratchpad memory, makes the I6500 ideal for applications which
require deterministic code execution.
- Ideal for compute intensive, data processing and
networking applications: The I6500 is designed for
high-performance/high-efficiency data transfers to localized
compute resources with data scratchpad memories per CPU, and
features for fast path message/data passing between threads and
cores.
- OmniShield-ready™: Imagination’s multi-domain
security technology used across its processing families enables
isolation of applications in trusted environments, providing a
foundation for security by separation.
- Straightforward software development: The
I6500 is based on the mature MIPS ISA which is broadly supported in
the development ecosystem by multiple vendors. Customers adopting
the I6500 can enjoy a wide choice of compilers, debuggers,
operating systems, hypervisors and application software all
optimized for the MIPS ISA.
Imagination offers a wide range of 32- and 64-bit MIPS CPUs:
http://imgtec.com/mips/.
Availability The I6500 CPU is available for
licensing now, with general availability expected in the first
quarter of 2017. Contact info@imgtec.com for more information.
About Imagination Technologies Imagination is a
global technology leader whose products touch the lives of billions
of people across the globe. The company’s broad range of silicon IP
(intellectual property) includes the key processing blocks needed
to create the SoCs (Systems on Chips) that power all mobile,
consumer and embedded electronics. Its unique software IP,
infrastructure technologies and system solutions enable its
customers to get to market quickly with complete and highly
differentiated SoC platforms. Imagination’s licensees include many
of the world’s leading semiconductor manufacturers, network
operators and OEMs/ODMs who are creating some of the world’s most
iconic products. See: www.imgtec.com.
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Imagination Technologies’ Press Contacts:
UK: David Harold david.harold@imgtec.com +44 (0)1923 260 511
USA: Jen Bernier-Santarini jen.bernier@imgtec.com +1 408-530-5178
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