Thursday, August 25, 2016

Microsoft reveals the secrets of powerful processor HoloLens – Techworld

HPU is designed to handle all streaming information cameras and sensors. Coprocessor meets 24 cores

Despite an early version of augmented reality glasses from Microsoft, the HoloLens, already be in the hands of enthusiasts, one of the essential details still remained in mystery: what’s inside the unit holographic processing that runs alongside the CPU and device GPU to?

During the annual conference Hot Chips, held in Cupertino, California, Microsoft unveiled what is behind their secret chip.

HPU’s HoloLens is a custom coprocessor designed 28nm by TSMC, says the Register. The chip combines a Digital Signal Processor (DSP, the acronym in English) of 24 cores Tensilica.

Unlike CPU cores for general use, DSPs are a specialized technology designed to quickly process the data flowing from the real world – a feature undoubtedly invaluable to render reality environments augmented in real time. Microsoft HPU also contains about 65 million logic gates, 8MB SDRAM and 1 GB of RAM DDR3 traditional. It uses less than 10W of power and features PCIe features and standard serial interfaces.

Why it matters

It is likely that the speeds and feeds holographic processing unit care just for geeks, right? But the important part is that all of these logic gates and DSP cores allow to the HoloLens does.

About the HPU HoloLens

HPU is designed to handle all the streaming information from cameras and sensors in HoloLens. These data are essential for any virtual reality glasses, but especially in augmented reality devices overlapping digital images in the real world.

The dedicated hardware HPU is 200 times faster than the performance of the same calculations via software in less specialized CPU Intel 14nm Cherry Trail. Microsoft added customized instructions of DSP cores that allow to stir HPU via specific tasks faster HoloLens, reports The Register. The HPU can perform 1 trillion calculations per second and the data passing CPU requires a slightly larger processing.

The hard work of HPU leaves the GPU and CPU free to focus on running the Windows 10 and any additional applications, instead of spending their time analysis of complex environmental data HoloLens. This is particularly important because unlike the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive, the HoloLens is a self-contained stand-alone device, completely dependent on your hardware on board.

LikeTweet

No comments:

Post a Comment