High performance GPU cores for cloud gaming with RISC-V
Imagination Technologies in the UK has launched a line of high-performance GPU IP with support for DirectX for cloud-based streaming gaming systems
The IMG DXD includes a hardware-based implementation of DirectX 11 Feature Level 11_0 and has the API coverage to run popular PC games as well as other Windows-based applications and mobile titles.
IMG DXD has 2.25 times the per-core graphics performance of IMG BXT, the GPU currently shipping in PCIe factor boards. An IMG DXD dual-core configuration delivers 5 TFLOPS FP32 and 144 GTexel/s for mainstream gaming with smooth frame rates. A RISC-V based firmware processor boosts the GPU management performance by 40% and licensees scale the IP for higher performance.
Three factors make the GPU IP particularly appealing for cloud gaming companies looking to optimise service volume and service quality per watt. IMG DXD’s approach to multi-core is highly flexible. Each individual core can operate independently as a separate GPU instance which, in a cloud gaming scenario, helps maximise the number of gamers that each GPU can host. Alternatively, for maximum quality for a single user (in either a cloud gaming or desktop scenario), the power of all cores can be combined together.
Imagination’s HyperLane virtualisation technology takes this further, enabling each core to host up to eight gamers with full security and flexible performance management. It taps the energy efficiencies of the PowerVR tile-based deferred rendering architecture and also works alongside all popular CPU architectures, including RISC-V, for custom data centre chips.
Imagination has been using RISC-V internally for several years for management processors and has developed its own range RISC-V processor cores.
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When compared with its closest equivalent IMG BXT configuration, the DXD GPU core offers 40-60% higher peak performance. This improvement is thanks to the inclusion of key performance efficiency features such as dual-rate FP16 for higher compute performance and power efficiency.
Fragment Shading Rate to reduce the amount of processing required per frame without impacting the visual experience while 2D Dual-Rate Texturing to speed up post processing effects in games. There is also support for ASTC HDR to minimise bandwidth when using high quality textures.
“This is a significant milestone in Imagination’s desktop journey,” says Simon Beresford-Wylie, Chief Executive Officer at Imagination Technologies. “Hardware-based support for DirectX is an essential element of a desktop GPU and, for us, IMG DXD with Feature Level 11_0 is just the start; we are continuing to invest in our API coverage and feature set so that our customers have the GPU IP they need to compete successfully in the desktop market.”
It has already been licensed for use for graphics cards in the desktop market and supports Linux, Android and Windows as well as emerging operating systems such as UOS and Kylin OS.
“There is a growing demand in the Chinese market for versatile, high performance and power-efficient graphics cards. Xiangdixian is pleased to see Imagination’s efforts to incorporate essential desktop features, such as DirectX support and modern gaming optimisations, into their newly released IMG DXD GPU IP products. Xiangdixian is committed to developing tailored graphic products aligned with these enhancements, to ensure they meet the evolving needs of customers,” said Zhimin Tang, Chairman of Xiangdixian Computing Technology.
The graphics card market is rapidly diversifying, particularly in China, and Imagination sees companies accelerating their time to market with GPU IP while giving their engineers the opportunity to focus on the differentiation for desktop and cloud gaming customers.
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