Confirming Samsung as the chip's first recipient, ARM has unveiled its latest GPU – the Mali-T604.

The firm revealed the T604 - ARM's fourth generation GPU - at the ARM Technology Conference 2010 in Santa Clara, with the company claiming it offers five times the performance of current Mali processors.

It's also being pitched directly at smartphones and tablets, amongst other devices, with ARM highlighting its suitability for augmented reality apps.

Memory matters

"Visual computing is driving the next generation of consumer electronics, as consumers and developers demand the highest levels of graphics performance," said ARM's EVP and general manager of its media processing division, Lance Howarth.

"The tri-pipe architecture in the Mali-T604 provides both market leading compute functionality and high-performance graphics without compromise, enabling unequalled user experiences in energy-efficient consumer electronic devices."

ARM claims the T604 will offer a memory system coherent with the recently announced Cortex-A15 processor, reducing memory bandwidth consumption thanks to what the company describes as 'innovative, patented techniques'.

In short, efficiency is the key here, with the Mail-T604 seemingly an attempt to bring ARM's GPU up to speed with the Cortex-A15.

Samsung, thanks to its existing Mali license, will be the first OEM to take advantage of the Mali-T604, although just what devices it will be employed in is as of yet unconfirmed.