Arm Launches Armv9.2 Cortex CPU IP, Its Fastest Processor Yet, and a Fifth-Gen GPU IP in TCS23

Arm has announced new processor IP, forming what it calls its "Arm Total Compute Solutions 2023 (TCS23)," including next-generation Arm Cortex parts with "double-digit performance gains" over their predecessors and a fifth-generation graphics processing unit (GPU) architecture.

"Through TCS23, which is built on the foundation of the new Armv9.2 architecture, we are enabling partners to utilize the latest techniques required to push power efficiency and performance boundaries so they can build the very best premium mobile SoCs [Systems on Chips]," claims Arm's Kinjal Dave of the platform, which follows the launch of the Total Compute Solutions offering in 2021. "Partners can also adopt TCS23 to create a variety of configurations and scalable computing solutions to bring the TCS23 capabilities to a broad range of consumer market segments."

The key pillars of the TCS23 platform are new GPU and CPU IPs — both offering big gains in performance and efficiency, the company claims. "After four generations of GPUs on the 4th Generation Valhall architecture," says Arm's Dan Wilson, "the latest Arm GPUs are built on a brand-new 5th Generation GPU architecture known as '5th Gen.' In its first year, 5th Gen targets three key processing trends – scene complexity, better graphics, and memory system power."

The Armv9.2 architecture, meanwhile, comes with the promise of "double-digit performance gains" over last year's equivalent parts — as demonstrated in Arm's new Cortex-X4 CPU, claimed to be the fastest processor the company has ever built. "As with every Cortex-X CPU," claims Arm's Saurabh Pradhan, "the Cortex-X4 is designed for ultimate performance and represents yet another generation of double-digit IPC growth, with 15 percent performance improvements compared to last year's Android flagship. Alongside performance, Cortex-X4 is the most efficient Cortex-X CPU core ever built, with 40 percent better power efficiency."

The Cortex-X4 isn't the only new entry in Arm's Cortex-class application processor family, though: the company has also announced the Cortex-A720 and Cortex-A520, sharing the same Armv9.2 architecture as the flagship Cortex-X4 but in a smaller footprint and at a lower cost. The Cortex-A720, Arm claims, offers a boost in performance over the Cortex-A715 it replaces for no increase in power draw, while the Cortex-A520 uses an "efficiency-first design" to deliver the lowest power requirements of any Armv9.2 core.

All three of the new CPU IPs can be combined, Arm says, to form a "Cortex Compute Cluster" of mismatching cores, thanks to a new DynamiqIQ Share Unit (DSU) design. The DSU-120, the company says, scales up to 14 cores per cluster while mixing Cortex-X4, Cortex-A720, and Cortex-A520 cores to balance performance and power requirements, while itself offering improved power efficiency.

The Cortex-A520 comes with a more controversial feature, though: it's Arm's first 64-bit only design, offering zero compatibility for running 32-bit software. "Being 64-bit only helps our partners deliver greater computing performance and more security and ML features, while improving the app development process," claims Arm's Manish Pandey in support of the move to drop backwards compatibility. "On computing performance, the 64-bit instruction set delivers performance gains of up to 20 percent for faster app loading times and better, more responsive user experiences."

Arm's new IPs are now available to customers, but thus far none of the company's customers has come forward to put a date on when chips featuring the cores will reach consumers.