ARM Extends OpenCL to the ARM Cortex-A Processor Family

September 30, 2014 -- Today ARM® announced OpenCL™ for ARM NEON™ technology. This enables the use of the OpenCL framework on ARM Cortex®-A processors. Alongside the already supported ARM Mali™ GPUs, OpenCL for NEON now enables heterogeneous multiprocessing on any Cortex-A based device. Heterogeneous multiprocessing enables compute-intensive workloads to be tasked to the most appropriate CPU or GPU resource improving both end-user experience and battery life.

Why:

As demand for mobile computing resources continues to grow, programmers face the challenge of finding smarter ways of running advanced applications without using too much battery power. The OpenCL framework enables efficient general purpose parallel compute on heterogeneous multiprocessor platforms. OpenCL enables the most efficient processor for the appropriate task. Modern platforms typically include a CPU and a GPU, it is therefore important to support OpenCL for NEON technology and Mali GPUs.

When used in conjunction with ARM DS-5 Development Studio Streamline, OpenCL for NEON enables programmers to effortlessly identify the right processor for task execution and utilize their resources in an improved manner. Examples of workloads that will benefit from heterogeneous multiprocessing include:

• Mobile
  • Image stabilization, editing, correction and enhancement
  • Face, smile and landmark recognition
  • Computer vision, augmented reality
• Digital TV
  • Upscaling, conversion from 2D to Stereo 3D
  • Support for emerging codec standards
  • Pre and Post-processing (stabilize, transcode, color-conversion)
  • User interfaces, multi-viewer gesture-based UI and speech
• Automotive
  • Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS)
  • Lane departure, collision warning and pedestrian detection

When:

OpenCL for NEON is available for licensing today.

Click here to find out more about ARM OpenCL for NEON.

Who:

ARM is at the heart of the world's most advanced digital products. Our technology enables the creation of new markets and transformation of industries and society. We design scalable, energy efficient-processors and related technologies to deliver the intelligence in applications ranging from sensors to servers, including smartphones, tablets, enterprise infrastructure and the Internet of Things.

Our innovative technology is licensed by ARM Partners who have shipped more than 50 billion System on Chip (SoCs) containing our intellectual property since the company began in 1990. Together with our Connected Community, we are breaking down barriers to innovation for developers, designers and engineers, ensuring a fast, reliable route to market for leading electronics companies. Learn more and join the conversation at http://community.arm.com.