GPU性能提升的背后

GPU的性能提升受各方面因素的影响，如：工艺、微架构设计、EDA工具、编译器等。本文仅从微架构方面分析GPU性能提升的背后发生了什么。

GPU可以粗略分为两大类：桌面/服务器端GPU和移动/嵌入式端GPU。前者的微架构设计更侧重于性能，后者更侧重于功耗和面积。前者的代表GPU厂商有NVDIA、AMD、Intel等，后者有ARM、Imagination、Qualcomm等。后文将分别介绍。

本文将通过纵向和横向对比的方式来剖析各大GPU厂商的主要微架构的变化，以及这样的变化所带来的性能提升有哪些。举例说明：所谓纵向是分析ARM的Bifrost一代和二代的改变、Bifrost三代和Valhall的改变；所谓横向是分析ARM的Bifrost和Imagination的Furian的性能差距及其原因。

Imagination

• # Imagination's PowerVR Rogue Architecture Explored
• # Imagination Announces PowerVR Furian GPU Architecture: The Next Generation of PowerVR
• # Imagination Announces A-Series GPU Architecture: "Most Important Launch in 15 Years"
• # Imagination Announces B-Series GPU IP: Scaling up with Multi-GPU

ARM

• ARM’s Mali Midgard Architecture Explored
• The Bifrost GPU architecture and the ARM Mali-G71 GPU
• ARM Unveils Next Generation Bifrost GPU Architecture & Mali-G71: The New High-End Mali
• Mali-G72 – Enabling tomorrow’s technology today
• Mali-G76: Taking High-End Graphics to the Next Level
• Arm's New Mali-G77 & Valhall GPU Architecture: A Major Leap
• Arm Mali-G78 GPU: Delivering True Immersive Entertainment on Mobile
• Mali-G57: Premium GPU Performance for Mainstream Devices

Qualcomm

NVDIA

NVDIA Tesla

NVDIA Fermi

NVDIA Kepler

NVDIA Maxwell

NVDIA Pascal

NVDIA Volta

NVDIA Ampere

AMD

Intel

参考资料

• ARM
  https://www.arm.com/products/silicon-ip-multimedia
  https://developer.arm.com/architectures/media-architectures/gpu-architecture
• Imagination
  https://www.imaginationtech.com/graphics-processors/powervr-gpus/