Think Silicon S.A., a provider of ultra-low power GPU IP for embedded systems, and Ambiq, a technology leader recognized in ultra-low power microcontrollers (MCU), System-on-Chips (SoC) and Real-time Clocks (RTC), today announced the companies are working together to bring high-end graphics capabilities to designers of everyday wearable devices.
To provide high-performance, low-power graphics, Ambiq’s newest Apollo4 SoC family now incorporates Think Silicon’s NEMA® pico GPU and NEMA dc display controller IP. The Apollo4 SoC family is the fourth-generation processor solution built upon Ambiq’s proprietary Subthreshold Power-Optimized Technology (SPOT™) platform. The Apollo4’s complete hardware and software solution enables the battery-powered endpoint devices of tomorrow to achieve a higher level of intelligence without sacrificing battery life. The Apollo4 is purpose-built to serve as both an application processor and a coprocessor for battery-powered endpoint devices, including smartwatches, children’s watches, fitness bands, animal trackers, far-field voice remotes, predictive health and maintenance devices, smart security devices, and smart home devices.
NEMA|pico XL/XS Series is a SoC-optimized GPU with display controller IP in a feature-complete design targeting the most rigorous power, performance and area requirements for mid- to high-end wearables and embedded IoT display devices. The scalable multi-core GPU IP platform has the ability to run on bare metal / RTOS, which requires only a small amount of on-chip memory and system resources, making it ideal for memory- and power-limited SoCs. The NEMA|pico XL/XS Series is designed to reduce overall system power by minimizing memory and display access without sacrificing battery life, graphics quality and performance.
“Adding the NEMA GPU and display controller widens the application space for the Apollo family of SoCs. It allows our customers to build ultra-low power wearables with industry-leading graphics performance, delivering feature-rich and uncompromising user interfaces,” said Dan Cermak, the VP of Architecture and Product Planning at Ambiq. “The flexibility of the Think Silicon IP gives our customers a wide range of options for display, allowing them to support multiple end-product tiers with few changes to the underlying design.”
“Incorporating the NEMA Pico GPU IP with the Apollo4 SoC family allows us to push the limits of what’s possible in high-performance, low-power graphics,” said Ulli Mueller, Director of IP Licensing and Marketing at Think Silicon. “Together, our solution provides stunning graphics in a power / performance envelope with battery life measured in weeks instead of days, all on the smallest silicon footprint.”