14 DAY TRIAL // In a decisive move to stop GPU outsourcing and pay only the licensing fees, Samsung has struck a deal with ARM in order to produce all future Mali GPUs, the Mali-T820, Mali-T830, Mali-T860 and Mali-T880, under license.
ARM’s Mali GPUs have been tried and tested successfully by Samsung in its Galaxy Note series since their inception. Even though there were rumors that Samsung might develop its own series of GPUs, the deal appears to be sealed for the long run as Samsung seems to put no more effort in CPU development.
The move apparently confirms a foresight Samsung had when investing in future ARM GPUs, and considering all the future Mali processors were taken into account, the potential seems to there. The deal is even better when considering money, as an acquisition of this sort is even cheaper when buying untested future tech than current high-performance GPUs.
With this move, Samsung will likely bring more cohesion between its GPU manufacturers with its core CPUs. ARM made excellent designs, but when they are produced in-house, QC’d by Samsung employees, the end result is a more cohesive product.
Just casual business
However, ARM’s business practice is quite normal, as most of Android-based mobile manufacturers use its GPUs under license, making things in the end more streamlined, especially for Samsung. It is also quite possible that this move will slow down any switches from ARM to PowerVR or even Qualcomm’s Snapdragon, keeping things more tidy during the manufacturing process.
ARM sublicensed GPU IPs from Imagination Technology, and since 2006 from Falanx, it successfully managed to grow its Mali graphics IP, becoming a leader in the Android market and digital TVs market both being led by Samsung.
ARM's Mali GPU produced 550 million devices in 2014, which is 150 million more than in the previous year. It also gained 27 new licensees in 2014, totaling 110 Mali licensees.