Nvidia details the 64-bit Tegra K1 “Denver”, promises PC-class performance


NVIDIA Tegra K1 variants

Nvidia announced their latest mobile chipset Tegra K1, sometime in January. This new chip, with its 192 core Kepler GPU was touted to be one of the best when it comes to gaming. We have started to see the results in devices like the Nvidia Shield Tablet and the Xiaomi Mi Pad, but announced alongside the normal 32-bit Quad Core K1 was the Dual Core 64-bit chip codenamed “Denver”. The 64-bit variant has now been detailed by Nvidia, and they say, with its high single core throughput, the chip will be able to offer PC-class performance on mobile, while sipping lesser power than usual. The company has also said that the chip will be ready for Android L, which will make things interesting.

This new version of Tegra K1 pairs our 192-core Kepler architecture-based GPU with our own custom-designed, 64-bit, dual-core “Project Denver” CPU, which is fully ARMv8 architecture compatible. Further, Denver is fully pin compatible with the 32-bit Tegra K1 for ease of implementation and faster time to market.

With its exceptional performance and superior energy efficiency, the 64-bit Tegra K1 is the world’s first 64-bit ARM processor for Android, and completely outpaces other ARM-based mobile processors.

says the Nvidia Blog. Key things to note here, for manufacturers, is that the 64-bit K1 will be pin-compatible with its 32-bit counterpart. This should be good news for people looking at upgrading existing designs based on the 32-bit version. Also interesting is the fact that it is based on the ARMv8 architecture, which is the next generation implementation from ARM, so here, you see “Denver” instead of A15 because this seems to Nvidia’s own take on v8 design, licensed from ARM.

We don’t want to dig too much into the technical details, as we are sure you’d check the source link for that, but it’s good to know that Nvidia is trying hard to claw its way back into the market, as Tegra 3 and 4 were failures when it came to adoption. Rival Qualcomm is still powering most of the flagship products in the market while the low end is inundated with Mediatek chips, leaving no room for Nvidia. But the GPU company now touts console level graphics with the K1, which might be enticing for manufacturers to adopt its design, as the gaming market is becoming increasingly mobile. Android L will be 64-bit compatible, so will we finally see more 64-bit devices on the market? We wonder what implications will this have for the tablet market. Sound off your thoughts in the comments section below.

Source Nvidia Blogs


Author: Bharadwaj Chandramouli

Bharadwaj is a content creator who has been obsessed with technology since the early days of smartphones. He loves talking about tech, is a fan of good design and photography. You can follow him on Twitter @gadgetbuff_ to know what he's upto!