ARM has unveiled the Cortex-A73 processor and the Mali-G71 graphics processor, which the company claims will redefine flagship devices beginning next year.
The new ARM chips have been designed to make significant improvements in performance and power efficiency to support mobile virtual reality platforms.
The chips were unveiled at the Computex trade show in Taiwan, alongside an official press release from ARM.
"This technology can make engaging with 4K video, virtual reality and augmented reality an everyday experience on a mobile device," said ARM executive VP and product groups president Pete Hutton, referring to the Cortex-A73 and the Mali-G71.
The processors will allow users to do much more with their mobile devices over longer periods of time, which is necessary for smartphones and tablets to run augmented reality and virtual reality systems.
ARM is the United Kingdom-based company responsible for most of the mobile processors used in devices around the world, including Apple's iPhones and Samsung's Galaxy smartphones. There are currently around 3 billion smartphones powered by ARM chips, with the company expecting 1.5 billion more to be sold within the year.
The Cortex-A73 CPU prioritizes power efficiency, being 30 percent more efficient compared to its predecessor, the Cortex-A72. The Cortex-A73 also offers 1.3 times the peak performance level compared with the Cortex-A72, with the new processor focusing on sustained usage.
The Mali-G71 processor, on the other hand, is the first to use Bifrost, which is ARM's third-generation architecture. The new processor is capable of a 50 percent boost in graphics performance, a 20 percent improvement in power efficiency and a 40 percent increase in performance per square millimeter, compared to the previous Mali GPU.
The Mali-G71 processor has also been crafted to address certain issues involving the adoption of virtual reality, including the addition of 4K resolution support, a refresh rate of 120 Hz and a 4ms graphics pipeline latency.
The Cortex-A73 and Mali-G71 have so far been licensed by Samsung, MediaTek and HiSilicon, so expect smartphones carrying the technology to begin entering the market in 2017.
