Open-source software for an open-source ISA: the Risc-V Software Ecosystem (RISE) Project is a new initiative dedicated to enabling a software ecosystem for application processors that includes software development tools, virtualization support, language runtimes, Linux distribution integration, and system firmware, working upstream first with existing open-source communities in accordance with open-source best practices. The RISE Governing Board includes Andes, Google, Intel, Imagination, MediaTek, Nvidia, Qualcomm, Red Hat, Rivos, Samsung, SiFive, T-Head, and Ventana.
New Arm mobile computing platform
At the recent Computex event in Taiwan, Arm announced its Total Compute Solutions 2023 (TCS23), a new platform for mobile computing aimed at premium smartphones. TCS23 IP includes a new Arm Immortalis GPU based on the 5th Generation GPU architecture, a new cluster of Armv9 CPUs supporting artificial intelligence, and other enhancements. A new graphics feature introduced in the 5th Gen GPU architecture is Deferred Vertex Shading (DVS), a technique that redefines the dataflow and enables partners to scale for larger core counts and higher performance points. A key part of the CPU cluster is the new Arm Cortex-X4 – “the fastest CPU that we have ever built,” Arm stated in a blog post – bringing 15 percent more performance compared to the Cortex-X3 while consuming 40 percent less power on the same process. Arm is taping out the Cortex-X4 on the TSMC N3E process.
Cadence will support customers using the new Arm TCS23 through RTL-to-GDS digital flow Rapid Adoption Kits (RAKs) for 3nm and 5nm nodes. The company has fine-tuned its RAKs for Arm Cortex-X4, Cortex-A720 and Cortex-A520 CPUs and Immortalis-G720, Mali-G720 and Mali-G620 GPUs. Cadence verification flow has also been optimized for the newest Arm CPUs and GPUs.
Synopsys, too, has announced support for TCS23 through QuickStart Implementation Kits (QIKs) that are tuned for the latest 5, 4 and 3nm process technologies.
