ARM has confirmed a significant increase in the use of its stalwart Mali GPU which reached more than 150 million processors in 2012 – with licensing jumping by some 30% in 2012 across the smartphone, tablet and graphic-enabled Digital TV (DTV) markets.
“Mali GPUs bring a distinct balance of performance density with advanced graphics, plus first-to-market GPU compute support, to an exciting and diverse range of smart devices,” an ARM spokesperson told TG Daily in an e-mailed statement.
“Indeed, Mali GPUs can be found in more than 70% of graphics-enabled Digital TVs, in over 50% of all Android tablets and 20% of all Android smartphones.”
According to Pete Hutton, general manager, media processing division, ARM, by using Mali GPU technology, silicon vendors and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) can offer computational photography, facial detection and gaming with powerful near-real graphics experiences.
“We have developed Mali GPUs to be integrated into the same system-on-chip designs as an ARM Cortex -A series processor. In 2012, over 95% of the Mali graphics processors shipped, did so alongside one of the ARM Cortex-A series processor from entry-level smartphones to mobile computers,” Hutton confirmed.
“[We have] built a vibrant ecosystem to enable a broad range of OS user interface and gaming partners to optimize their solutions for Mali to address the market. In 2013 the choices for consumers will expand even further. High-end Android-based devices are multiplying and more entry-level smartphones are becoming available, enabled in part by Firefox OS.”
Hutton also noted that Mali GPU total volume shipments, as reported by ARM partners, have grown from less than 50 million Mali-enabled SoCs in 2011 to over 150 million units in 2012 and are expected to exceed 240 million in 2013.
“This growth has resulted in Mali GPUs taking market share in all the fast-growing markets: It is number 1 in the Android tablet market, and is in more than 20% of Android smartphones.
“[Plus], more than 70% of all smart TVs shipped benefitting from Mali GPUs. CES saw a wide range of smart TVs on show, including Samsung’s Smart TV F8000 and LG smart TV GA7900 and GA6400, taking the TV experience to new levels with Mali GPU technology,” he added.
