Google’s augmented reality platform, Tango, is due to debut when the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro hits the market. With Tango set to be available on a myriad of other devices outside of the Phab 2 Pro, both Google and Qualcomm have announced that they have teamed up to optimize the Snapdragon processors to run Tango.
The key to optimizing the Snapdragon processors for Tango lies in what Qualcomm calls the ‘Snapdragon Heterogeneous Proccessing Architecture.’ This architecture allows non-compute-heavy chips in an SoC, such as the DSP, sensor hub, and Image Signal Processor, to get recruited for compute duties in a Tango phone. According to Qualcomm, this architecture allows the phone to run all of Tango’s algorithms and sensors with a “less than 10%” CPU overhead compared to a normal app. The company further boasted that this is a lower-power process.
As for which of Qualcomm’s chips will be ‘Tango Ready’, Qualcomm has stated that the Snapdragon 652 and Snapdragon 820 are Tango Ready. Future processors in the 600 and 800 line will also be able to support Tango. “We are committed to Tango and we believe in this technology. We see broad adoption of this technology as forthcoming and we would like to support that,” says Seshu Madhavapeddy, VP of product management for Qualcomm.
Source: Ars Technica