Arm pushes machine learning with new cores

Arm has announced the launch of four new core intellectual properties (IPs) - two neural processing units (NPUs), a graphics processing unit (GPU), and a display processing unit (DPU) - with which it's targeting embedded intelligence and virtual reality platforms.

'AI intelligence is now everywhere from gaming devices to digital TVs (DTVs), and increased compute at the endpoint is required to allow for these responsive experiences. For example, intelligent experiences in DTVs range from smart assistant voice commands, real-time translation for shows in another language, and face recognition to enhance parental controls,' claims Arm's Paul Williamson. 'To deliver this, I’m pleased to announce that Arm is launching two new mainstream ML processors, as well as our latest Mali graphics and display processors. Together, this IP represents Arm’s ability to scale, bringing premium experiences to everyday and ultra-efficient consumer devices.'

The company's latest machine learning acceleration IP cores, the Ethos-N57 and Ethos-N37, build on what was known at launch as the Arm ML Processor. Designed to offer maximum performance for Int8 and Int16 workloads, the parts offer a claimed 200 percent performance boost over the somewhat vague 'many other NPUs' against which they compete. The top-end part, Ethos-N57, is claimed to offer 2 trillion operations per second (TOP/s), while the lower-end part hits 1 TOP/s.

The Mali-G57, meanwhile, is the latest entry in the company's GPU IP range. According to Arm's internal testing, the part offers a 1.3 increase in performance density and energy efficiency over its previous Mali-G52 while supporting new features including foveated rendering for virtual reality applications and a 60 percent boost in machine learning performance.

Finally, the Mali-D37 is the company's latest display processor. Built for area efficiency, to reduce the amount of room the IP takes up in a design, the part is claimed to be configurable to an area of under 1mm² on a 16nm process while still offering 2k resolution support. The IP also includes overall power savings of up to 30 percent, by offloading core display tasks from the GPU.

Arm's new IPs are available to customers now, but the company has not yet confirmed when the first devices to feature them will hit shop shelves.