What is the nvidia tegra?

What is the nvidia tegra?

Tegra, developed by Nvidia, is a system on a chip (SOC) series for mobile devices such as smartphones, personal digital assistants, and mobile Internet devices. The Tegra integrates the ARM architecture processor central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), north bridge, south bridge, and memory controller onto one package.

The series emphasizes low power consumption and high performance for playing audio and video. It is also world's first mobile super processor, NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core and Tegra 2 dual-core processors deliver unprecedented performance in a wide range of mobile devices. Extreme multitasking. The best Web experience, with up to two times faster browsing and hardware-accelerated Flash. Console-quality gaming with an integrated ultra-low power (ULP) NVIDIA GeForceGPU. Even HD video capabilities unlike anything seen before in mobile processors.

The Tegra APX 2500 was announced on February 12, 2008; the Tegra 6xx product line was revealed on June 2, 2008 and the APX 2600 was announced in February 2009. The APX chips were designed for smartphones, while the Tegra 600 and 650 chips were intended for smart books and mobile Internet devices (MID).

The first product to use the Tegra was Microsoft's Zune HD media player in September 2009, followed by the Samsung M1. Microsoft's KIN was the first cellular phone to use the Tegra, however the phone did not have an app store, so the Tegra's power did not provide much advantage. In September 2008, Nvidia and Opera Software announced that they will produce a version of the Opera 9.5 browser optimized for the Tegra on Windows Mobile and Windows CE. At Mobile World Congress 2009, Nvidia introduced its port of Google's Android to the Tegra.

On January 7, 2010, Nvidia officially announced and demonstrated its next generation Tegra system-on-a-chip, the Nvidia Tegra 250, at Consumer Electronics Show 2010. Nvidia primarily supports Android on Tegra 2, but booting other ARM-supporting operating systems is possible on devices where the bootloader is accessible. Tegra 2 support for the Ubuntu GNU/Linux distribution was also announced on the Nvidia developer forum.

On February 15, 2011, Nvidia announced the first quad-core SoC that will be used in many of the tablets to be released in the second half of 2011. The announcement was made at the February 2011 Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona. Though the chip has currently been codenamed Kal-El, it will likely be branded as Tegra 3. Early benchmark results show impressive gains over Tegra 2

In January 2012, Nvidia announced that Audi had selected the Tegra 3 processor for its in-vehicle infotainment systems and digital instruments display. The processor will be integrated into Audi's entire line of vehicles worldwide, beginning in 2013.

Key Innovations of nvidia tegra are as follows:

• The world's first dual-core CPUfor faster Web browsing and snappier response time. The integrated ARM Cortex-A9 is the first mobile CPU with out-of-order execution for more efficient processing—resulting in a better overall experience.
• Ultra-low power (ULP) GeForceGPUarchitected for low-power applications. The ULP GeForce GPU delivers outstanding game playability and a visually engaging, highly responsive user interface.
• 1080p Video Processors– Watch and record full 1080p HD video with the new NVIDIA video processors. They support a wide variety of codices and formats, delivering superior compatibility with your existing content and eliminating the need for transcoding.