Intel SIMD Accelerator to speed handheld graphics
updated 08:35 am EDT, Wed March 18, 2009
Intel SIMD Accelerator
Intel today gave an early glimpse at a technology it hopes will dramatically improve graphics in handheld devices. Referred to as a SIMD (single instruction, multiple data) Accelerator, the component would overcome some of the power and space limits by using technology borrowed from Intel's CPUs to let the graphics core perform many more tasks at once. It would not only speed up graphics, improving 3D and video, but would consume a tenth the power of typical accelerators and fit in tight spaces.
The new SIMD part is technically the output of a research project but should be incorporated in some form with "future Intel products." These aren't specified but will likely involve future variants of the Atom platform, as Intel expects the SIMD Accelerator to be most useful in mobile Internet devices and other devices smaller than full computers.
