Engineering:Imagination META

From HandWiki

The META is a 32-bit multithreaded microprocessor developed by Metagence Technologies Division from Imagination Technologies.[1] First version of META were developed in 2001 as META-1 multithreaded DSP core aimed for audio, radio and video processing.[2] META HTP core family was announced in 2007 and is based on META-2 architecture.[3][4] META is designed to support between one and four independent hardware threads, which typically operate concurrently on separate tasks. Despite the shared processing resources, each execution unit maintains a local register state, an execution pipeline, and a program counter (PC) for each thread to accommodate multiple thread contexts.[5] META family consists of Meta HTP applications processors (400–700 MHz on 65L – 65G process[3]), META MTP Embedded Processors and Meta LTP Embedded Microcontrollers.[6]

It is supported by the Linux kernel as of version 3.9.[7][8][9]

In 2018 March, LWN.net reported that Imagination Technologies redirected its focus away from Meta after its purchase of MIPS Technologies in 2012. This has led to a proposal on Linux development mailing lists to remove support for the architecture from the kernel which became effective with the release of Linux 4.17 in June 2018.[10][11]

References

  1. Henry Davis (2006-03-20). "Inside the Imagination Technologies Meta processor". EETimes. http://eetimes.com/design/audio-design/4015736/Inside-the-Imagination-Technologies-Meta-processor-Part-1. 
  2. "Imagination Technologies Announces New Revolutionary DSP Cores and Metagence Technologies Division". Imagination Technologies. 2001-05-08. http://www.imgtec.com/corporate/newsdetail.asp?NewsID=48. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Imagination Technologies META HTP Multi-Threaded Processor IP Core". Design and Reuse. 2007-10-31. http://www.design-reuse.com/news/17039/imagination-meta-htp-multi-threaded-processor-ip-core.html. 
  4. Peter Clarke (2007-11-07). "Meta HTP extends support for different operating systems". EE Times Europe. http://www.eetindia.co.in/ART_8800487698_1800001_NP_1cf3c36a.HTM. 
  5. "META (TM) Multi-threaded Architecture Overview". https://www.chipestimate.com/tech-talks/2011/02/15/Imagination-Technologies-META-TM-Multi-threaded-Architecture-Overview. Retrieved 2023-12-14. 
  6. Product Description on Imagination Technologies website
  7. Pull new ImgTec Meta architecture from James Hogan
  8. "Linux 3.9 has been released". Kernel Newbies. http://kernelnewbies.org/Linux_3.9#head-20695544668173ceb7d57ca455c1e1d546a8dbe9. ""1.5. New architecture: Meta Imagination processors"" 
  9. Richard Chirgwin (2013-05-01). "Linux kernel 3.9 lands. Power management, new processors, SSD caching and more". The Register. https://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/05/01/linux_kernel_3_9/. ""The new kernel is now ported to .. Imagination Meta ATP and HTP processor cores – an embedded Linux play .. the Imagination devices turn in in digital radios."" 
  10. Jonathan Corbet (2018-02-26). "Shedding old architectures and compilers in the kernel". LWN.net. https://lwn.net/Articles/748074/. Retrieved 2018-03-11. 
  11. Linus Torvalds (2018-06-03). "Linux 4.17 Release Notes". lkml.org. https://lkml.org/lkml/2018/6/3/142. Retrieved 2018-06-18. 

External links