Imagination APXM-6200 CPU: A high-performance RISC-V application processor for intelligent, consumer and industrial applications
LONDON, April 8, 2024—(BUSINESS WIRE)–Imagination Technologies today introduces the next product in the Catapult CPU IP range, the Imagination APXM-6200 CPU: a RISC-V application processor with compelling performance density, seamless security and the artificial intelligence capabilities needed to support computational and intuitive user experience experience needed for the next generation of consumer and industrial devices.
“The number of RISC-V-based devices is skyrocketing with more than 16 billion units expected by 2030, and the consumer market is driving much of that growth,” said Rich Wawrzyniak, principal analyst at SHD Group. “One-fifth of all consumer devices will have a RISC-V-based CPU by the end of this decade. Imagination will be a force in RISC-V with a strategy that prioritizes quality and ease of adoption. Products like the APXM-6200 are exactly what will help RISC- Vu to achieve the promised success.”
The APXM-6200 CPU is a 64-bit 11-stage dual-pipelined in-order application processor that delivers a 65% improvement in normalized performance and a 2.5x improvement in normalized performance density compared to equivalent CPUs already on the market. Customers can choose from single-, dual-, and quad-core configurations depending on their performance requirements, with per-core power control for maximum system efficiency and cache coherence. AI capabilities are aided by support for RISC-V vector extensions along with fast data connectivity for AI accelerators.
“Imagination removes barriers for companies looking to benefit from RISC-V-based designs,” said Shreyas Derashri, vice president of Compute, Imagination Technologies. “We are investing heavily in the open source software ecosystem so that when the APXM-6200 ships in silicon, the software stacks will be available and efficient. On the hardware side, our engineering team follows a rigorous design and verification process, honed over Imagination’s thirty years of experience in designing and supporting complex semiconductor IP, to ensure Catapult CPUs are of the highest quality and built with customer satisfaction in mind.”
“Imagination has demonstrated leadership both within the RISC-V community and across the industry with a commitment to bringing compelling innovations to market,” said Calista Redmond, CEO of RISC-V International. “Imagination’s strategic investment in RISC-V is a fantastic example of the unique design potential that only RISC-V offers through a set of modular standard specifications along with proprietary differentiation.”
Ease of design migration with user flexibility
Imagination’s RISC-V solution includes the Catapult SDK (Software development kit) that provides everything an embedded developer needs to write, build, and debug target application software, including a new set of vector computing libraries to boost performance for AI workloads. Beyond the SDK, Imagination also offers an extension to Microsoft’s popular Visual Studio Code integrated development environment (IDE): the Catapult Studio extension. Now any Visual Studio user can visit the Marketplace and install the Catapult extension in their usual development environment. Included are the QEMU (Quick Emulator) and Catapult software models, which developers can start using to build and run RISC-V software today, before the hardware is available.
In today’s connected world powered by artificial intelligence, security is paramount for consumer and industrial applications. With the proliferation of RISC-V, seamless migration to established security frameworks is imperative. The APXM-6200 can be easily designed into the SoC without compromising security thanks to a multi-domain isolation solution that seamlessly integrates with well-known and established security frameworks.
The APXM-6200 is Android and Linux ready. It is expected to ship in devices such as Smart TVs, Smart Home Hubs and Digital Signage, many of which also require a GPU to handle the graphical user interface. As the industry’s preferred provider of GPU IP for RISC-V-based SoCs, Imagination is uniquely able to design a CPU, GPU system to deliver better performance. Bus utilization is doubled and memory traffic is halved when the APXM-6200 is paired with the Imagination GPU.
In addition, we partner with trusted industry leaders such as Lauterbach and ProvenRun to accelerate our customers’ time-to-market, ensuring timely implementation at reduced costs.
“Security is a fundamental concern for the electronics industry,” says Thierry Chesnais, CEO of ProvenRun. “As chips grow in complexity and cost, designers must be able to find the best IP for their use case without introducing unwanted risk or redesigning the security architecture. ProvenRun is working with Imagination to develop ProvenCore TEE support for the APXM-6200 to ensure that its security suite meets industry standards and can be supported by our products and services.”
“The tooling market is ready to support companies interested in building with RISC-V IP,” says Stephan Lauterbach, Chief Technology Officer and Managing Director of Lauterbach GmbH. “For example, our Lauterbach TRACE32® toolset enables designers to debug and control any RISC-V core in any SoC, including those in the Imagination Catapult range. Today we are announcing a partnership with Imagination to not only support the APXM-6200, but and working together towards the wider success of RISC-V, it means companies can invest in RISC-V products, knowing they can bring their products to market quickly and at the level of quality their customers expect.”
To learn more, visit Imagination Technologies at Embedded World, Hall 4, Booth 4-659, April 9-11, or visit www.imaginationtech.com/cpu, to apply for information on the Imagination Catapult processor range.
About Imagination Technologies
Imagination is a UK-based company that creates silicon and software IP (intellectual property) designed to give its customers an edge in competitive global technology markets. Its GPU, CPU and AI technologies enable outstanding power, performance and area (PPA), fast time-to-market and lower total cost of ownership. Products based on Imagination IP are used by billions of people around the world in their smartphones, cars, homes and workplaces.
See https://www.imaginationtech.com/ for more.
Imagination, PowerVR and the Imagination Technologies logo are trademarks of Imagination Technologies Limited and/or its affiliated groups of companies in the United Kingdom and/or other countries. All other logos, products, trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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