Arm reveals AI-optimised chip designs
UK-based chip design licensor Arm has unveiled hardware designs and software tools that will make it easier for developers to design AI applications for smartphones that use Arm-based chips.
It's a logical move. Arm's designs have fuelled the rise of Android smartphones and are now found increasingly in PCs and in data centres too. This new move is targeting the white-hot AI space, which is quickly becoming a battleground for smartphone makers.
Arm says its new designs for central processing units (CPUs) will be better suited to AI work and new graphics processing units (GPUs) than previous iterations. However, just as significant is the way these products are positioned.
Historically, Arm delivered specifications or abstract designs that third party chip designers would adapt to their own requirements. But with these new products, Arm worked with Samsung and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co to deliver blueprints that are ready for manufacturing.
The main new product is the Cortex-X925 flagship CPU core. Arm says Cortex-X925 runs single-threaded applications 36% faster than its predecessor, while AI performance receives a 25% boost. The company also introduced the mid-range Cortex-A725, and entry-level Cortex-A520. All three chips can be manufactured using a 3nm process.
Another highlight is the 14-core Immortalis-G925, Arm's next-generation mobile GPU. This third-generation ray tracing GPU boasts a 52% performance improvement over its predecessor, the Immortalis-G720.
