Qualcomm details its next graphics processor for Snapdragon 820 processor

Qualcomm today announced its next generation visual processing technology with new version of its GPU and image signal processing (ISP) unit to offer significant advancement in power efficiency, performance and user experience. The GPU and ISP combination will be seen in next year Flagship processor the Snapdragon 820. The new Qualcomm Adreno 5xx GPU architecture delivers increased speed and efficiency over the previous generation and supports stunning high-definition mobile graphics while introducing general-purpose compute co-processing for exceptionally low power consumption. The first two GPUs available on the new architecture, the Adreno 530 and Adreno 510, will be available integrated within the forthcomingSnapdragon 820 and Snapdragon 620/618 processors. In addition, Snapdragon 820 will also debut the new 14-bit Qualcomm Spectra™ image signal processing (ISP) unit, designed to support superior DSLR-quality photography and enhanced computer vision.

  "We’re significantly enhancing the  visual processing capabilities of  Snapdragon to support next-  generation user experiences related  to computational photography,  computer vision, virtual reality and  photo-realistic graphics on mobile  devices, all while maximizing  battery life,” said Tim Leland, vice  president, product management,  Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Snapdragon by Qualcomm

Designed for scalability, the Adreno 5xx architecture is the foundation of Qualcomm Technologies’ next-generation custom GPUs and is the successor to the Adreno 4xx family.  Newly integrated within the Snapdragon820, the Adreno 530 is the highest-performance GPU ever designed by Qualcomm Technologies, providing superior experiences with:

• ·      Up to 40 percent lower power consumption and 40 percent faster performance for both graphics and GPGPU compute when compared to the Adreno 430;
• ·         Leading-edge capabilities in graphics and compute APIs including OpenGL ES 3.1+AEP (Android Extension Pack), Renderscript, as well as the new OpenCL 2.0 and Vulkan standards. Vulkan minimizes driver overhead and enables multi-threaded performance on mobile and embedded platforms;
• ·         Support for 64-bit virtual addressing, allowing for shared virtual memory (SVM) and efficient co-processing with 64 bit CPUs;
• ·         Improved fine-grain power management, new rendering, compositing and compression techniques to enable higher performance at lower power consumption and reduced DRAM bandwidth;
• ·         Up to 4K HEVC video support at 60fps over HDMI 2.0 to Rec. 2020 ultra-high definition (UHD) displays and TVs;
• ·         Improved Qualcomm® EcoPix™ and Qualcomm® TruPalette™ support for longer battery life and superior pixel quality; and
• ·         Software compatibility between Adreno 530 and Adreno 510.
• Introduced with the Snapdragon 820, Qualcomm Spectra ISP is Qualcomm Technologies’ most advanced dual-imaging signal processing unit to-date, integrated and designed to provide best-in-class camera image quality and end-user benefits, including:
• ·         Superior image quality, with more natural skin tones via advanced, 14-bit dual ISPs supporting up to 3 simultaneous cameras (e.g. one facing the user, and two rear facing), and up to 25 megapixels at 30 frames per-second with zero shutter lag;
• ·         Improved photos with Qualcomm Spectra ISP’s flexible hybrid autofocus framework and multi-sensor fusion algorithms supporting next generation computational photography;
• ·         Improved power efficiency when compared to previous generations, better noise immunity and higher throughput via advanced compression techniques and use of the latest MIPI serial C-PHY interface; and
• Next generation Computer Vision and other use cases via direct-to-DSP raw bayer data streaming and pre-processing capabilities.