ARM’s “Travis” Core and the End of the Gigahertz Race
The MediaTek Dimensity 9500 recently made its initial appearance on Geekbench, giving us our first glimpse of ARM’s new flagship CPU core. Codenamed “Travis,” this prime core was observed running at 3.23GHz, not the rumored 4GHz. While Travis isn’t officially unveiled yet, reliable leaker Digital Chat Station suggests a September reveal.
The Shift to IPC: Ending the Gigahertz Race?
According to Digital Chat Station, Instructions Per Clock (IPC) will become the critical metric for future flagship chip performance, potentially signaling the end of the long-standing gigahertz race in mobile processors. Simply put, a CPU with double the IPC can perform the same amount of work at half the clock speed. While real-world scenarios are more complex, this rule of thumb highlights the significance of IPC improvements.
Travis is expected to deliver “double-digit growth” in IPC, measured as a percentage. This substantial increase will lead to significantly more efficient operation. It’s crucial to remember that higher clock speeds demand higher core voltages, and heat generation escalates exponentially with voltage. Even minor voltage differences can have a profound impact on thermal management and overall efficiency.
AI and Beyond: The Power of SME
The Travis core also boasts support for ARM’s Scalable Matrix Extension (SME). Matrix and vector calculations are fundamental to modern AI applications, as well as a wide array of classic signal processing algorithms, including image and audio processing. This integration positions the Dimensity 9500 for enhanced performance in these crucial areas.
Beyond the single Travis core, the Dimensity 9500 will reportedly feature three “Alto” cores and four “Gelas” cores. While Gelas is confirmed to be the next-generation Cortex-A7xx core, the nature of the “Alto” cores remains somewhat mysterious. For graphics, the chip will incorporate a new ARM-designed GPU, codenamed “Drage,” which will be marketed under the “Mali-G1” brand.
You can delve deeper into these advancements by checking out ARM’s Computex 2025 presentation. Specifically, look for the section titled “A sneak peek of next-generation ARM Lumex CSS” (Compute Sub-System) for more details.
ARM’s Brand Evolution: A New Naming Convention
In a significant branding shift, ARM is reportedly retiring the “Cortex” brand. It will be replaced by several new branches, each tailored for specific market segments:
- “Lumex” for mobile devices
- “Niva” for PC platforms
- “Zena” for automotive applications
- “Neoverse” for server solutions
- “Orbis” for IoT (Internet of Things) devices
This strategic rebrand reflects ARM’s expanding influence across a diverse range of computing environments.
