Futuremark Begins Development of New Vector Graphics Benchmark; VGMark07 to Enable Measurement of OpenVG API Performance on Handheld Devices — Active Recruitment of Key Industry Partners Underway

Business Wire, Feb 15, 2006

SARATOGA, Calif. & BARCELONA, Spain -- Futuremark, creators of world's most widely used benchmarks for handhelds and PCs, announced they have established an open development program to define and create VGMark07, the OpenVG Benchmark. This new benchmark will provide handheld industry companies developing OpenVG API enabled hardware with objective and accurate cross platform comparisons of OpenVG performance.

With over eight years experience invested in 2D, 3D and system benchmarking applications, Futuremark is designing VGMark07 as a complete benchmark suite. To reliably gauge the performance of handheld devices running applications that utilize OpenVG API, workloads will be based on popular consumer applications that place a high demand on system performance. The full suite of tests is subject to change, pending industry and partner feedback during the development process, but will replicate OpenVG API dependant tasks such as user interface, text rendering, vector animation and mapping/navigation.

The methodology behind VGMark07 reflects Futuremark's practice of building benchmark workloads based on real world applications to produce credible and relevant performance measurements. VGMark07 will allow handheld device manufacturers to select IP based on actual performance comparisons rather than relying on unproven claims or theoretical specifications.

"As substantial numbers of handheld manufacturers adopt the OpenVG API, we see a solid opportunity to provide reliable, well designed performance tools for an important segment of the handheld industry. We're pleased to again be the first benchmark developer to recognize the significance of this technology," said Tero Sarkkinen, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Futuremark. "There's a real demand for transparency in vector graphics performance, and by leveraging our partnerships, experience and skills to develop a test suite of real world workloads, we'll enable the industry to build better performing smartphones and other handheld devices."

OpenVG, accelerating vector graphics on handheld devices

OpenVG(TM) is a royalty-free, cross-platform API developed by the Khronos Group, a consortium of over 100 of industry's leading companies. OpenVG provides a standardized low-level hardware acceleration interface for vector graphics libraries such as Flash and SVG. OpenVG is targeted primarily at handheld devices that require acceleration of high-quality vector graphics for compelling user interfaces and text on small screen. These and many other applications require hardware acceleration to provide fluidly interactive performance at very low power levels.

"OpenVG provides many benefits to the handheld industry, as increasing numbers of consumer applications relying on vector graphics such as Flash and SVG emerge," said Koichi Mori, Chairman of Khronos' OpenVG Working Group. "VGMark07 fulfils a critical role in the industry by enabling trusted objective performance measurements and comparisons on devices and technologies across board. Futuremark endorses our vision with their latest benchmark, while providing the industry with the tools they need to select and build the best performing hardware for future handheld device users."

Inviting industry participation

Futuremark is currently inviting qualified handheld industry companies to pre-license the VGMark07. In addition to lowered licensing fees, pre-licensing provides exclusive access to the benchmark specifications and early builds including alpha and beta releases. Only pre-licensee companies will be able to influence specification and implementation of the benchmark with their feedback throughout the development of VGMark07. Pre-licensing runs through the end of February, 2006.

About Futuremark(R) Corporation

Futuremark(R) Corporation is the leading provider of performance analysis software and services for PCs and smartphones. Futuremark(R) is known around the world for its benchmark products, including the 3DMark(R) and PCMark(R) Series and SPMark(TM) (with more than 30 million copies distributed worldwide) and value-added services powered by a database of over 13 million real life benchmarking results from over 3 million registered users. Futuremark(R) maintains offices in Saratoga, California and Helsinki, Finland. For more information, please visit http://www.futuremark.com.

(C) 2006 Futuremark(R) Corporation. 3DMark(R), PCMark(R), SPMark(TM) and VGMark trademarks and logos, Futuremark(R) character names and distinctive likenesses, are the exclusive property of Futuremark Corporation. OpenVG is a registered trademark of Khronos Group Inc. in the Untied States and/or other countries worldwide. All other trademarks are property of their respective companies.