2D Vector Graphics Accelerator / GPU (Graphics Processing Unit)
iPhone X chip shows problems of Imagination
September 15, 2017 // By Nick Flaherty, eeNews Europe
The launch of the latest Apple iPhones has raised some interesting questions on the IP used in the chips.
The A11 Bionic applications processor in the iPhone 8 and iPhone X uses an entirely new graphics processor sub-system, says Apple. This is made up of three ‘all new’ cores.
This points to a collapse in the relationship between Apple and Imagination Technology much earlier than previously thought.
The GPU in the iPhone 7 uses a custom version of the PowerVR GT7600 GPU, which had some disappointing benchmarks, but even in early 2017 Imagination was looking to replace that with a GPU design using its Furian architecture.
A new GPU sub-system would take at least 18 months to design and verify as part of the overall chip design on the latest 10nmm process so it is very lear that Apple has spent at least two years developing a new technology. This meant the architecture specification was being decided long before the public fallout of the two companies and would be consistent with Apple telling Imagination in late 2015.
E-mail This Article | Printer-Friendly Page |
Related News
- China shows it takes Imagination opportunity seriously
- iPhone X's TrueDepth Module Dissected
- iPhone X Costs Apple Nearly $370 in Materials, IHS Markit Teardown Reveals
- Imagination shows latest technologies for IoT, automotive and security at Embedded World 2017
- iPhone 4S Shows Key Design and Component Changes
Breaking News
- GUC Monthly Sales Report - April 2024
- Synopsys Enters Definitive Agreement to Sell its Software Integrity Business to Clearlake Capital and Francisco Partners
- Zhuhai Chuangfeixin: OTP IP Based on 55nm High-Voltage Process Successfully Qualified for Listing
- Arm Brings Transformers to IoT Devices
- BrainChip and Frontgrade Gaisler to Augment Space-Grade Microprocessors with AI Capabilities
Most Popular
- Silvaco Announces Launch of Initial Public Offering
- TSMC's A16 Process Moves Goalposts in Tech-Leadership Game
- Radiation-Tolerant PolarFire® SoC FPGAs Offer Low Power, Zero Configuration Upsets, RISC-V Architecture for Space Applications
- Siemens collaborates with TSMC on design tool certifications for the foundry's newest processes and other enablement milestones
- Synopsys and Samsung Electronics Collaborate to Achieve First Production Tapeout of Flagship Mobile CPU with Leading Performance on Samsung Foundry's GAA Process