GraphiVisor Advanced Hardware Architecture for Virtualization Offers Advantages of both Dual-Core and Isolated Configurations

SANTA CLARA, Calif.-- Vivante® Corporation today announces that its GPU GraphiVisor solution will be featured in a white paper and sponsorship at the Jon Peddie Research Virtualize Conference. GraphiVisor is at the heart of solutions that must be both high-performance and secure, such as in Automotive applications, where feature-rich user experiences must exist in the same system as safety-critical functions with no tolerance for error or tampering. GraphiVisor will work alongside traditional security measures such as 2-step authentication, encryption and network security for truly secure systems in applications where some systems must be designed to have uninhibited, immediate access to the GPU and even a small error-margin is unacceptable, and a new level of hardware isolation is necessary. Vivante IP provides that option with two GPUs that can operate in isolation on one system.

Vivante is excited to be a part of the 2015 Virtualize Conference, with a best practices panel on virtualization options that will include Rick Tewell of Freescale Semiconductor, who heads the Graphics Architecture team for the i.MX product lines. Freescale has adopted Vivante's dual-GPU isolation technology in the i.MX6 Quad to allow one Microcontroller solution for multiple graphics applications that have varying requirements for safety and real-time performance.

"Vehicles are becoming increasingly reliant on high-tech systems for essential information and safety features, such as Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, while at the same time consumers demand increasingly impressive user interfaces that seamlessly interface with other user technology," said Wei-Jin Dai, CEO of Vivante Corporation. "GraphiVisor allows Vivante GPUs to maintain isolated, secure systems to satisfy both demands."

In Depth: two dual-GPU resource states

When the GPU is combined, so that all shader cores can operate in one context, the architecture has the full features of a dual-core GPU. When the GPU is virtualized, there is a secure Memory Management Unit (additional state bit) and secure bus interface with secure page tables that determines the type of surface and access patterns allowed. This allows the GPU core(s) to be virtualized across multiple OSes and applications and blocked off from each other. Secure transactions are allowed through a secure path and non-secure Read/Writes can go through the standard MMU and ACE-Lite/AXI interface. The whole process is strictly controlled by the platform and implemented in hardware.

For more information about virtualization and the 2015 Virtualize Conference, visit http://www.jonpeddie.com/events/details/jpr-virtualize-2015#page-overview.

About Vivante Corporation

Smaller – Faster – Cooler: Vivante Corporation, a leader in dedicated Vision Processing and multi-core GPU, Compute, CPC Composition Engine and Vector Graphics IP solutions, provides the highest performance and lowest power silicon characteristics across a range of Khronos™ Group API conformant standards based on the Vega architecture. Vivante GPUs are integrated into customer silicon in devices targeting wearables, IoT, smartphones, tablets, HDTVs, automotive, consumer electronics and other embedded devices and running thousands of graphics/compute applications across multiple operating systems and software platforms. Vivante is a privately held company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, with additional R&D centers inShanghai and Chengdu.

About Jon Peddie Research

Dr. Jon Peddie has been active in the graphics and multimedia fields for more than 30 years. Jon Peddie Research is a technically oriented multimedia and graphics research and consulting firm. Based in Tiburon, California, JPR provides consulting, research, and other specialized services to technology companies, including graphics development, multimedia for professional applications and consumer electronics, high-end computing, and Internet-access product development. The Virtualize conference is part of JPR's Event series, which includes the popular Luncheon series held for press, analysts, and industry experts. For more information about our services, go to  www.jonpeddie.com.