Falanx' Single 2D/3D Graphics and Video Core Lowers Cost for Mobile Multimedia SoC Design

Mali IP Cores Bring 3D Visual Quality and 30fps Video to Mobile Phones

Manchester, NEW HAMPSHIRE – 1 February 2005 –  Falanx Microsystems, Inc., the developer of complete mobile graphics semiconductor intellectual property (IP) cores for system-on-chip (SoC) semiconductor manufacturers, today introduced a single Mali graphics and video IP core that makes the tradeoff between high-quality 3D graphics and smooth video non-existent.  Built from the ground up for small, mobile applications, the new Falanx Mali110 and Mali55 with the geometry processor, MaliGP, cores utilize the same gates for processing graphics and video, thereby reducing cost and streamlining the design of next-generation multimedia-enabled cellular phones and portable devices, set top boxes and in-car navigation systems.

“Today engineers need to weigh the development cost and time associated with designing a device that can handle rich media with the lowest possible battery usage,” said Borgar Ljosland, president and CEO of Falanx.  “We’ve solved those problems by providing a complete architecture that is scalable and efficient for rapid design of media rich devices supporting advanced 3D games, smooth video playback and two-way video and image sharing.”

Falanx has employed a patent-pending rendering architecture that takes the best of tile-based and immediate mode rendering, which processes 2D, 3D and video within a single core.  The architecture is optimized for high memory latency ARM-based SoCs, with a reduced gate count, improved memory bandwidth and ultimately slashing production costs in half compared to that of other IP and dedicated silicon solutions.  Additionally, the company provides a complete out of the box software stack that is pre-verified to support, e.g. OpenGL® ES and Microsoft® Direct3D® Mobile, together with a performance analysis tool, for even quicker time to market and improved decision qualities for SoC integrators.

“Multimedia IP driven phones will grow to be nearly 50 percent of the total phone market in 2008,” said graphics industry expert Dr. Jon Peddie, of the market research firm Jon Peddie Research, in Tiburon, CA.  “Falanx is poised to gain market share in this category with its all-in-one solution that reduces many of the hurdles faced by SoC manufacturers – integration, flexibility and efficient battery utilization.’”
 
The Mali Pixel Processors
Both the Mali110 and Mali55 are single pipeline 2D/3D/Video IP rasterizer cores that delivers 30fps encode and decode of video, the only advanced 16X Full Scene Anti-Aliasing (FSAA) support and texture filtering for increased bandwidth savings for high-performance multimedia devices.  The Mali55 is a die shrink of the Mali110, allowing for advanced multimedia capabilities for the value market.  Since both use only standard interfaces and retains binary compatibility for software, the Mali110 and Mali55 do not require any modifications to the SoC environment, thereby making the solution scalable for different custom applications.

“Based on our in-house assessment, the Falanx Mali IP core provides  the mobile industry with an excellent platform for delivering  QVGA 30 fps video encode and decode performance that is required  for two-way video conferencing,” said Dr. Rajesh Srivathsa, chief technology officer of Emuzed Inc. “By joining forces, Falanx and Emuzed will offer IP core H.264 and other key multimedia solutions such as video conferencing and streaming to manufacturers designing multimedia phones for both business and entertainment users to enjoy.”

MaliGP  - Geometry Processing
Used as an additional processor to either the Mali110 or Mali55, the MaliGP (geometry processor) delivers integer, floating-point and 3D graphics in a high performance media processor hardware IP core and supports all functionality specified in the OpenGL® standards.  This integrated geometry processor performs complex transform and lighting, while offloading the main CPU in the handheld and enables rich 3D applications to run extremely fast while consuming minimal power.

Pricing and Availability
The second-generation Mali110 and Mali55 cores are available today as pre-verified softcores making it suitable for silicon designed to as low as 65nm process technology.  The MaliGP will be available later this quarter.  Falanx offers its cores under an evaluation license for a free trial of the cores.

About Falanx
Falanx Microsystems develops graphics accelerator IP cores, marketed to semiconductor system-on-chip (SoC) vendors, that deliver high quality multimedia images without compromising performance, power consumption and system cost.  Unlike most graphics IP cores, Falanx’s Mali Graphics Core—designed from the ground-up for mobile applications such as cell phones, PDAs and portable game platforms—is the only graphics IP core offering a complete integration of 2D, 3D and video, plus software and interoperability drivers, in an all-in-one solution.  Falanx is headquartered in Trondheim, Norway, and is privately-held.