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Tegra

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Colibri Tegra T3 computer module by Toradex, Switzerland

Tegra is a system on a chip (SoC) series developed by Nvidia for mobile devices such as smartphones, personal digital assistants, and mobile Internet devices. The Tegra integrates the ARM architecture processor central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), northbridge, southbridge, and memory controller onto one package. The series emphasizes low power consumption and high performance for playing audio and video.

History

The Tegra APX 2500 was announced on February 12, 2008, the Tegra 6xx product line was revealed on June 2, 2008,[1] and the APX 2600 was announced in February 2009. The APX chips were designed for smartphones, while the Tegra 600 and 650 chips were intended for smartbooks and mobile Internet devices (MID).[2]

The first product to use the Tegra was Microsoft's Zune HD media player in September 2009, followed by the Samsung M1.[3] Microsoft's KIN was the first cellular phone to use the Tegra,[4] however the phone did not have an app store, so the Tegra's power did not provide much advantage. In September 2008, Nvidia and Opera Software announced that they would produce a version of the Opera 9.5 browser optimised for the Tegra on Windows Mobile and Windows CE.[5][6] At Mobile World Congress 2009, Nvidia introduced its port of Google's Android to the Tegra.

On January 7, 2010, Nvidia officially announced and demonstrated its next generation Tegra system-on-a-chip, the Nvidia Tegra 250, at Consumer Electronics Show 2010.[7] Nvidia primarily supports Android on Tegra 2, but booting other ARM-supporting operating systems is possible on devices where the bootloader is accessible. Tegra 2 support for the Ubuntu GNU/Linux distribution was also announced on the Nvidia developer forum.[8]

On February 15, 2011, Nvidia announced the first quad-core SoC that was used in many of the tablets released in the second half of 2011. The announcement was made at the February 2011 Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona. Though the chip was codenamed Kal-El, it is now branded as Tegra 3. Early benchmark results show impressive gains over Tegra 2.[9][10]

In January 2012, Nvidia announced that Audi had selected the Tegra 3 processor for its in-vehicle infotainment systems and digital instruments display.[11] The processor will be integrated into Audi's entire line of vehicles worldwide, beginning in 2013.

Specifications

Tegra APX

Tegra APX 2500
Tegra APX 2600
  • Enhanced NAND flash
  • Video codecs:[12]
    • 720p H.264 Baseline Profile encode or decode
    • 720p VC-1/WMV9 Advanced Profile decode
    • D-1 MPEG-4 Simple Profile encode or decode

Tegra 6xx

Tegra 600
  • Targeted for GPS segment and automotive
  • Processor: ARM11 700 MHz MPCore
  • Memory: low-power DDR (DDR-333, 166 MHz)
  • SXGA, HDMI, USB, stereo jack
  • HD camera 720p
Tegra 650
  • Targeted for GTX of handheld and notebook
  • Processor: ARM11 800 MHz MPCore
  • Low power DDR (DDR-400, 200 MHz)
  • Less than 1 Watt envelope
  • HD image processing for advanced digital still camera and HD camcorder functions
  • Display supports 1080p at 24 frame/s, HDMI v1.3, WSXGA+ LCD and CRT, and NTSC/PAL TV output
  • Direct support for Wi-Fi, disk drives, keyboard, mouse, and other peripherals
  • A complete board support package (BSP) to enable fast time to market for Windows Mobile-based designs

Tegra 2

The second generation Tegra SoC has a dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 CPU (lacking ARM's advanced SIMD extension—NEON), an ultra low power (ULP) GeForce GPU with 4 pixel shaders + 4 vertex shaders,[13] a 32-bit single-channel memory controller with either LPDDR2-600 or DDR2-667 memory, a 32KB/32KB L1 cache per core and a shared 1MB L2 cache.[14] There is also a version of the SoC supporting 3D displays; this SoC uses a higher clocked CPU and GPU.

Model number Semiconductor technology CPU instruction set CPU GPU Memory technology Availability Utilizing Devices
Tegra 250 AP20H (Ventana) 40 nm ARMv7 1 GHz Dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 ULP GeForce 300 MHz 32-bit Single-channel 300 MHz LPDDR2 (2.4 GB/sec) or 333 MHz DDR2 (2.66 GB/sec) Q1 2010 Motorola Atrix 4G, Motorola Droid X2, Motorola Photon,LG Optimus 2X / LG Optimus Dual P990 / Optimus 2x SU660 (?), Samsung Galaxy R, Samsung Captivate Glide, ZTE Mimosa X, [ Micromax Superfone A85], T-Mobile G2X P999, Acer Iconia Tab A100, A200 and A500, LG Optimus Pad, Motorola Xoom,[15]Sony Tablet S, Dell Streak 7, Dell Streak Pro,[16] Asus Slider, Toshiba Thrive tablet, T-Mobile G-Slate
Tegra 250 T20 (Harmony) 40 nm ARMv7 1 GHz Dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 ULP GeForce 333 MHz 32-bit Single-channel 300 MHz LPDDR2 (2.4 GB/sec) or 333 MHz DDR2 (2.66 GB/sec) Q1 2010 Avionic Design [ Tamonten] Processor Board,[17] Exper EasyPad, Notion Ink Adam tablet, Olivetti OliPad 100, Point of View Mobii 10.1, ViewSonic G Tablet, , [ ViewSonic ViewPad 10s], ASUS Eee Pad Transformer, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 AC100, Toshiba Folio 100, Advent Vega, [ Hannspree Hannspad], Aigo n700, CompuLab Trim-Slice nettop, E-Noa Interpad, Malata Tablet Zpad, MSI 10-inch (250 mm) tablet, Toradex Colibri Tegra 2, [ Lenovo IdeaPad Tablet K1], [ Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet], Velocity Micro Cruz Tablet L510, [ Zyrex Onepad SP1110], [ Zyrex Onepad SP1113G].
Tegra 250 3D AP25 40 nm ARMv7 1.2 GHz Dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 ULP GeForce 400 MHz 32-bit Single-channel 300 MHz LPDDR2 (2.4 GB/sec) or 333 MHz DDR2 (2.66 GB/sec) Q1 2011 Fusion Garage Grid 10[citation needed]
Tegra 250 3D T25 40 nm ARMv7 1.2 GHz Dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 ULP GeForce 400 MHz 32-bit Single-channel 300 MHz LPDDR2 (2.4 GB/sec) or 333 MHz DDR2 (2.66 GB/sec) Q1 2011

Tegra 3

The Tegra 3 (codenamed "Kal-El")[18] is functionally a SoC with a quad-core CPU, but includes a fifth "companion" core. While all cores are Cortex-A9s, the companion core is manufactured with a special low power silicon process that uses less power at low clock rate but does not scale well to high clock rates; hence it is limited to 500 MHz. There is also special logic to allow running state to be quickly and transparently transferred between the companion core and one of the normal cores. The goal is for a mobile phone or tablet to be able to power down all the normal cores and run on only the companion core, using comparatively little power, during standby mode or when otherwise underutilizing the CPU. According to Nvidia, this includes playing music or even video content.[19] Compared to Tegra 2, the ARM Cortex-A9s in Tegra 3 now supports ARM's SIMD extension—NEON. The GPU in Tegra 3 is an evolution of the Tegra 2 GPU, with twice the number of pixel shader units (8 compared to 4) and higher clock frequency. It can also output video up to 2560×1600 resolution and supports 1080p MPEG-4 AVC/h.264 40 Mbit/s High-Profile, VC1-AP, and DivX 5/6 video decode.[20] The Tegra 3 was released on November 9, 2011.[21]

Model number Semiconductor technology CPU instruction set CPU CPU Cache GPU Memory technology Availability Utilizing Devices
Tegra 3 T30L 40 nm LPG by TSMC ARMv7 1.2 GHz Quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 (up to 1.3 GHz in single-core mode) L1: 32 KB instruction + 32 KB data, L2: 1 MB 416 MHz ULP GeForce 32-bit single-channel 667 MHz DDR3 (5.34 GB/sec)[22] Q1 2012 Asus Transformer Pad TF300T, Nexus 7,[23] Sony Xperia Tablet S, Acer Iconia Tab A210
Tegra 3 T30 40 nm LPG by TSMC ARMv7 1.4 GHz Quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 (up to 1.5 GHz in single-core mode) L1: 32 KB instruction + 32 KB data, L2: 1 MB 520 MHz ULP GeForce 32-bit single-channel 533 MHz LPDDR2 (4.26 GB/sec) or 750 MHz DDR3-L (6 GB/sec)[24] Q4 2011 Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime,[25] IdeaTab K2 / LePad K2,[26] Acer Iconia Tab A510, Acer Iconia Tab A700, LG Optimus 4X HD, HTC One X, ZTE Era, ZTE PF 100, ZTE T98, Toshiba AT270, Toshiba AT300 (Excite 10), Asus VivoTab RT, Fuhu Inc. nabi 2 Tablet,[27] Tesla Model S, Kungfu K3,[28] Goophone I5 , Olivetti Olipad 3[29], Microsoft Surface,[30] Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11[31] [32]
Tegra 3 T33 40 nm LPG by TSMC ARMv7 1.6 GHz Quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 (up to 1.7 GHz in single-core mode)[22] L1: 32 KB instruction + 32 KB data, L2: 1 MB 520 MHz ULP GeForce 32-bit single-channel 800 MHz DDR3 (6.4 GB/sec)[22] Q2 2012 Asus Transformer Pad Infinity (TF700T), Fujitsu Arrows X F-10D, Ouya, HTC One X+

Upcoming releases

As with the Tegra 3, all upcoming Tegra SoCs have codenames that are references to comic book superheroes. Specifically, Superman (Kal-El), Batman (Wayne), Jean Grey (Grey), Wolverine (Logan), and Iron Man (Stark).[33]

Wayne
  • Processor: Quad ARM Cortex-A15 MPCore + low power companion core
  • Improved 24 (for the quad-core) and 32 to 64 (for the octa-core) GPU cores with support for DirectX 11+, OpenGL 4.X, and PhysX
  • 28 nm HPL[34]
  • About 10 times faster than Tegra 2
  • To be released in Q1 2013
Grey
Logan
  • Processor: Quad ARM Cortex-A15 MPCore + low power companion core
  • Improved GPU core
  • 28 nm[34]
  • About 50 times faster than Tegra 2
  • To be released in 2013
Stark
  • Processor: Unknown ARMv8 (64-bit)
  • Improved GPU core
  • About 75 times faster than Tegra 2[35]
  • To be released in 2014

Linux support

Nvidia distributes proprietary drivers for Tegra through OEMs and as part of its "Linux for Tegra" (formerly "L4T") development kit. As of April 2012, due to different "business needs" from that of their GeForce line of graphics cards, Nvidia and one of their Embedded Partners, Avionic Design GmbH from Germany, are also working on submitting open source drivers for Tegra upstream to the mainline Linux kernel.[36][37]

Similar platforms

See also

References

  1. ^ "Nvidia Rolls out "Tegra" Processors". Retrieved 2008-06-02.
  2. ^ "Nvidia Tegra FAQ" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-06-04.
  3. ^ New Nvidia Tegra 3 at 1.5GHz
  4. ^ Microsoft KIN first to use tegra
  5. ^ "Nvidia and Opera team to accelerate the full Web on mobile devices" (Press release). Opera Software. 2008-09-09. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
  6. ^ "Nvidia And Opera Team To Accelerate The Full Web On Mobile Devices" (Press release). Nvidia. 2008-09-09. Retrieved 2009-04-17.
  7. ^ "New Nvidia Tegra Processor Powers The Tablet Revolution". Nvidia. 7Jan2010. Retrieved 2010-03-19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ "What operating systems does Tegra support?" (Press release). Nvidia. 2011-08-17. Retrieved 2011-09-14.
  9. ^ "Why nVidia's Tegra 3 is faster than a Core 2 Duo T7200". Brightsideofnews.com. 2011-02-21. Retrieved 2011-08-12.
  10. ^ "Nvidia's Kal-El Demonstration Marred By Benchmark Confusion". Retrieved 2011-02-22.
  11. ^ Peter Clarke, EE Times. "Audi selects Tegra processor for infotainment, dashboard." January 17, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  12. ^ "Nvidia Tegra APX Specifications". Retrieved 2011-02-17.
  13. ^ "LG Optimus 2X & Nvidia Tegra 2 Review: The First Dual-Core Smartphone". AnandTech. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
  14. ^ "NVidia Tegra 2 Product Information". NVidia. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
  15. ^ "Motorola Xoom Specifications Table". Motorola Mobility, Inc. February 16, 2011. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
  16. ^ [ Dell Streak Pro Honeycomb tablet pictured, likely to be with us in June], Engadget, 19 May 2011
  17. ^ "Avionic Design Tegra 2 (T290) Tamonten Processor Module — Product Brief". Avionic Design. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
  18. ^ http://www.androidcentral.com/nvidia-announces-tegra-3-pc-class-performance-comes-android-tablets
  19. ^ "Variable SMP – A Multi-Core CPU Architecture for Low Power and High Performance" (PDF). 2011-09-19.
  20. ^ "ASUS Transformer Prime introduced and examined". HEXUS.net. Retrieved 2011-11-11.
  21. ^ "NVIDIA Quad-Core Tegra 3 Chip Sets New Standards of Mobile Computing Performance, Energy Efficiency". 2011-11-09.
  22. ^ a b c http://www.anandtech.com/show/6036/asus-transformer-pad-infinity-tf700t-review/3
  23. ^ "Nexus 7 tablet hands-on". Engadget. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
  24. ^ http://www.nvidia.com/object/tegra-3-processor.html
  25. ^ "Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime (Nvidia Tegra 3 Processor; 10.1-inch display) Review". 2011-12-30.
  26. ^ LePad K2 performance test by GLBenchmark
  27. ^ [1]
  28. ^ [2]
  29. ^ [3]
  30. ^ [4]
  31. ^ http://techcrunch.com/2012/10/09/lenovo-introduces-the-ideapad-yoga-11-and-13-the-first-tablet-laptop-ultrabook-hybrid/
  32. ^ http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=6600&news=lenovo+ideapad+yoga
  33. ^ Trenholm, Rich. "Nvidia Kal-El quad-core phone chip is faster than a speeding bullet in video". CBS Interactive Limited. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
  34. ^ a b "Nvidia's Tegra Kal-El Will Be 40 nm, Not 28 nm". Tomshardware.com. Retrieved 2011-08-12.
  35. ^ "Tegra Roadmap Revealed: Next Chip to be World's First Quad-Core Mobile Processor". Blogs.nvidia.com. Retrieved 2011-08-12.
  36. ^ Mayo, Jon (2012-04-20). "[RFC 0/4] Add NVIDIA Tegra DRM support". dri-devel (Mailing list). Retrieved 2012-08-21. {{cite mailing list}}: Unknown parameter |mailinglist= ignored (|mailing-list= suggested) (help)
  37. ^ Larabel, Michael (2012-04-11). "A NVIDIA Tegra 2 DRM/KMS Driver Tips Up". Phoronix Media. Retrieved 2012-08-21.
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