Linley Group Report Estimates More Than 10 Billion CPU Cores Shipped in 2011

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA--(Marketwire - May 10, 2012) - Estimating that more than 10 billion chips containing CPU cores shipped in 2011, The Linley Group today released their latest report, "A Guide to CPU Cores and Processor IP, Third Edition." The Linley Group notes that chip designers will increasingly turn to IP to avoid the cost of internally developing these technologies and this report sorts through the options, evaluating the high-performance designs available from the leading IP vendors.

The report notes the most popular IP blocks are programmable processors such as CPUs and DSPs, but as system designers place more emphasis on differentiation through sophisticated user interfaces, there is a surging interest in graphics processor units (GPUs) as well. The CPU IP business increased 25 percent in 2011 driven by growth in smartphones and microcontrollers while the shipments of merchant DSP IP grew by 44 percent in 2011 because of increasing adoption in cellular-baseband processors. The GPU IP market is still in its infancy but exceeded 300 million units.

Companies covered extensively in the report include: ARM, CEVA, IBM, Imagination Technologies, MIPS, Synopsys (ARC), Tensilica and Vivante. Also covered are Adapteva, Aeroflex Gaisler, Beyond Semiconductor, Cognovo, Coresonic, Cortus, Digital Media Professionals (DMP), EnSilica, NXP and VeriSilicon.

"A Guide to CPU Cores and Processor IP, Third Edition," is currently available directly from The Linley Group. For further details, including pricing and a list of included tables, visit the web site at http://www.linleygroup.com/cpu-ip

About The Linley Group
The Linley Group is the industry's leading source for independent technology analysis of semiconductors for networking, communications, mobile, and wireless applications. The company provides strategic consulting services, in-depth analytical reports, and Linley Tech events focused on advanced technology topics. The Linley Group is also the publisher of Microprocessor Report, the leading technical publication for unbiased analysis of high-performance processor technology. For insights on recent industry news, subscribe to the company's free email newsletters: Linley Wire, Linley on Mobile and Processor Watch.