Vivante claims top GPU spot in China TD phones

LONDON – Graphics IP licensor Vivante Corp. claims to be providing graphics cores for the majority of TD-SCDMA based smartphones. This would put Vivante in a leading position ahead of better known graphics core licensors Imagination Technologies Group plc and ARM Holdings plc, albeit in just a part of the Chinese mobile phone market.

TD-SCDMA is an air-interface standard being deployed for 3G communications in China as an alternative to W-CDMA. Vivante said that is now benefitting from high volume product shipments for China Mobile's TD-SCDMA network. China Mobile is the largest mobile telecom operator in China with over 638 million customers.

Vivante's success has come by way of its design wins in chips from Marvell Technology Group Ltd. (Santa Clara, Calif.), particularly the PXA920 communications processor. This chip ships in China Mobile smartphones made by Asus, Huawei, Lenovo, Samsung, ZTE and others, Vivante (Sunnyvale, Calif.) said.

Vivante did not quantify the shipments of chips including its IP in 2011.

"The mass deployment of TD smartphones reaches a major milestone for the company, and we are very excited to be the leading GPU supplier in that segment," said Wei-Jin Dai, president and CEO of Vivante, in a statement.

"China's TD market represents one of largest and fastest-growing sectors of the mobile industry globally, said Ivan Lee, vice president of mobile products at Marvell Semiconductor Inc., in the same statement.

Vivante entered the Silicon 60, EE Times' list of emerging startup companies at version 12.0 in 2011. The latest edition of the Silicon 60 is version 12.5, which is the subject of a detailed technology and employment digital edition which can be accessed via http://e.ubmelectronics.com/Silicon60/index.html


Related links and articles:

www.vivantecorp.com

www.marvell.com

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Vivante claims top GPU spot in China TD phones