Think Silicon, a leading provider of ultra-low-power GPU intellectual property (IP) for embedded systems, and LVGL, a prominent open-source embedded graphics library, have announced a collaboration to significantly enhance the performance and energy efficiency of graphical user interfaces (GUIs) on microcontrollers (MCUs). This partnership focuses on optimising LVGL's lightweight graphics libraries for Think Silicon's NEMA⢠GPU-Series, resulting in substantial improvements across several key metrics.
Modern microcontroller applications demand compact and power-efficient GUIs, requiring access to sophisticated graphics libraries. Think Silicon's NEMA gfx-api software development kit plays a crucial role in achieving this. By leveraging this SDK, the collaboration aims to accelerate LVGL's graphics library by a factor of up to five times compared to software-only rendering. Furthermore, Think Silicon's proprietary lossy compression technology promises to reduce memory usage by up to eight times while simultaneously improving GPU power efficiency by a factor of ten when compared to equivalent MCU logic processing.
Ulli Mueller, Vice President of IP Management and Marketing at Think Silicon, highlighted the synergistic benefits of this collaboration: "The combination of Think Silicon's cutting-edge GPU technology and LVGL's innovative graphics libraries delivers unprecedented performance and energy efficiency in MCU-based GUI development. Our solution is ideally suited for designers of power-constrained devices, including wearables, e-bike computers, navigation systems, instrument clusters, industrial products, and medical applications."
Gabor Kiss-Vamosi, CEO of LVGL, echoed this sentiment, emphasising the collaborative nature of the achievement: "Teaming up with Think Silicon perfectly exemplifies how collaboration can drive significant progress. Our shared goal is to simplify the development process for sleek, responsive interfaces without compromising on performance or power efficiency. By integrating the lightweight LVGL open-source graphics library with Think Silicon's advanced NEMA GPU-Series, system developers can deliver faster, more energy-efficient solutions for the microcontrollers that are integral to everyday technology."
The resulting accelerated LVGL libraries, optimised for the NEMA pico VG 1000 GPU-Series and compatible with NEMA gfx API versions v8.4.0 and v9.1.0, are now publicly available on GitHub (https://github.com/lvgl/lvgl). For comprehensive details regarding this collaboration and the newly optimised graphics libraries, further information can be found on Think Silicon's website (www.think-silicon.com) and the LVGL website (www.lvgl.io/).
Think Silicon, a subsidiary of Applied Materials, specialises in ultra-low-power 2D/3D GPU and display processors for MCU-based microprocessor cores in embedded systems. Their flagship NEMA⢠GPU IP is incorporated into millions of chips powering displays in resource-constrained devices across diverse sectors. Their headquarters and development centre are located in Greece, with additional sales and technical support offices across North America, Europe, and Taiwan.
LVGL, the company behind the LVGL embedded GUI library, provides ongoing maintenance and development of the library, alongside a range of customer support services. These services include design assistance, UI implementation, and consultancy to optimise system concepts and drivers for enhanced hardware performance. Their aim is to empower customers to create visually appealing and high-performing user interfaces.