14 DAY TRIAL // ARM has long been the major presence on the mobile processing front, with its CPUs powering the largest part of mobile handsets, phones and small consumer electronics. On the other hand, the company has not been able to successfully approach the market for larger devices, even though it has high hopes for the tablet front and even the netbook segment. Now, ARM seems to be planning a different initiative, involving its Mali graphics technology and game consoles.
In an interview with TG Daily, an ARM spokesperson stated that the mobile chip maker hoped to make its Mali more appealing on other segments besides just the mobile market.
One plan is to improve the performance of the technology, to the point where it can compete with products from NVIDIA, ATI/AMD and Imagination Technologies. This may turn out to be difficult, but ARM definitely has a reason to try its chances on the ultra-mobile graphics market, given that it is the only one set to grow.
As far as becoming usable in game consoles goes, however, the Mali already has its work cut out for it. ARM will not only have to aggressively market the product, but it will also have to make it more powerful while still maintaining its efficiency. This will likely be a challenge, but, if tackled well, the endeavor should lead to profits.
“There isn't any reason why ARM's Mali shouldn't be in a gaming console at some point. Something like that would definitely be a good ambition for us to have in terms of hardware scalable up to those levels. Really, it is all about scalability for ARM. Of course, we wouldn't leave existing markets, but the goal would be [to] successfully scale across multiple and diverse spaces simultaneously,” Ian Smythe, a spokesman for ARM, said in the interview.
“This translates to quite a nice royalty for the company, but the console market probably wouldn't have the same return on investment for us,” Mr. Smythe added.