The next generation of iPhone could feature a pretty dead sexy new graphics processor.
Imagination Technologies today announced PowerVR Furian, its next-generation GPU architecture that promises significant improvements in graphics performance and power efficiency that could benefit future iPhones.
The Furian architecture is stated to offer up to a 70 to 90 percent improvement in real-world gaming performance by density, including 35 percent better shader performance and 80 percent better fill rate, compared to a similar sized and clocked Series7XT Plus GPU based on current-generation PowerVR Rogue architecture.
It’s also stated that the PowerVR Furian architecture could offer lower power consumption, thereby equating to longer battery life where graphics-related tasks are concerned.
Apple’s graphics chip in iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus is a custom-designed version of the Series7XT Plus, and many earlier iPhone models are also based on PowerVR Rogue architecture, so it is reasonable to assume that future iPhone models may use at least some of the PowerVR Furian architecture.
Imagination Technologies stated that the first GPUs based on the PowerVR Furian architecture, such as the Series8XT, will be announced around mid-2017. The technology could arrive in the 2018 iPhone at the earliest.
Apple has long been both a licensee and stakeholder in Imagination Technologies since 2008, wherein Apple acquired roughly 10 percent of the company in 2009.
Apple was actually rumored to acquire Imagination Technologies last year, but it later said it did not plan to make an offer at the time. Nevertheless, in recent months, Apple has recruited at least two dozen employees from the chip designer, including former COO John Metcalfe, possibly to build out an in-house GPU team.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via MacRumors