At this year's GPU Technology Conference, Nvidia's CEO outlined the company's roadmap for desktop and mobile platforms and described how "GPUs are already finding their way into applications that were undreamed of a decade ago".
He also noted that last year's Kepler GPU architecture has been a "runaway hit for gamers" and underpins a "new generation of hyper-efficient supercomputers" including the GeForce GTX Titan. The roadmap aims to "put the efficiency and speed of our massively-parallel GPU architectures into an ever-broader array of devices" ranging from mobile to supercomputer.
Starting with Nvidia's desktop GPUs, Maxwell will offer unified virtual memory, providing CPUs with access to the speedy memory built into GPUs and vice versa. Following on from Maxwell will be Volta that introduces the idea of 'stacked DRAM' that piles memory modules directly atop the GPU cores and gives the GPUs access to a bandwidth of 1 TB/s or enough to move a full Blu-ray disc of content in 0.02 seconds.
With regards to mobile processors, Logan will pair ARM based mobile processors with Kepler GPUs and provide mobile devices with access to technologies such as PhysX, CUDA 5 and OpenGL 4.3. The Parker architecture will combine 64-bit ARM CPU cores with the next generation Maxwell GPU to provide server-esque functionality including the ability to "gulp down big chunks of data".
We've been impressed by the content and ambitiousness of the GTC presentation and are looking forward to both Nvidia's upcoming architectures and perhaps getting our hands on Jen-Hsun Huang's jacket! For a play-by-play from the keynote, check out our liveblog!
