[Mali] Dr.Madani Diallohas extends his contract at Oklo Resources guaranteeing consistency in operations
Gold exploration company Oklo Resources Ltd has confirmed that its technical director Dr Madani Diallohas agreed to extend his contract for a further two year term effective immediately.
Dr Diallo was instrumental in the identification and acquisition of Oklo’s highly prospective portfolio of gold projects in west and south Mali.
Dr Diallo has led and also been a team member involved in the discovery of several large gold deposits including the multi-million ounce Syama, Morila, Sadiola and Essakane deposits.
He also currently holds the position of Vice-President of the Mali Chamber of Mines, President of the Association of Geoscientists in Mali, Director of UBA Bank in Burkina Faso and Director of the Sadiola Gold Mine (IamGold/AngloGold Ashanti JV).
Simon Taylor, managing director, commented:"We are delighted that Madani has agreed to continue his commitment with Oklo in its quest to build a significant gold company in Mali.
"Having now secured the services of both Madani and Andrew Boyd, complemented by an excellent incountry team, we are now fully focused on the forthcoming aggressive drilling campaign which is fully funded from our cash reserves of circa $9.5 million."
[Mali] ARM launches video processor technology for low end smartphones
Software design company ARM has announced the launch of a new graphics processor unit (GPU) and video processing unit (VPU) designed to address mainstream demands for more immersive and interactive visual content on mobile devices. The company’s new GPU, dubbed the Mali-G51, is described as its smallest and most efficient Vulkan-enabled processor for screen resolutions up to 4K. It delivers up to 60 percent more performance per square mm and is up to 60 percent more energy-efficient than its predecessor, the Mali-T830 GPU, as well as being 30 percent smaller.
The company’s new video processor, the Mali-V61, is also being released to ARM’s partners. It provides both video capture and 4K streaming for real-time video applications such as Facebook Live and Periscope, supporting HEVC h.265 with HDR/10-bit. The Mali-V61 also scales from 1080p60 on a single core, up to 4K120 on multiple cores, providing high definition streaming on any mobile device, from premium through mainstream to entry level.
Virtual reality is only accessible to owners of high-end smartphones using today's technology. The powerful hardware required to support VR headsets has so far prevented entry costs falling much below $500. ARM hopes to change that with the Mali-G51, a chip aimed specifically at bringing virtual reality to budget, widely available smartphones by 2018. ARM is targeting the $200 price range, one of the most crowded areas of the market that receives a lot of attention from consumers.
The Mali-G51 is significantly more efficient than previous ARM GPUs. According to the company, it's up to 1.6x more efficient than the Mali-T830, enabling more power to be derived from a smaller, less energy-intensive chip. This in turn reduces heat production, enabling the GPU to run faster for longer. The result is a GPU capable of powering virtual reality content inside budget phones, all without draining the device's battery as soon as an app's started up.
The innovation has been made possible by ARM's Bifrost architecture. Bifrost uses a low level instruction set to give control to the compiler when handling power-sensitive graphics workloads. While the technology is complex, the overall effect is a more efficient platform that's scalable across a wide range of hardware, from low-end phones to more premium devices.
The company said that virtual spaces are the "obvious business application" for VR, letting you set up a virtual boardroom, conference suite or collaboration area. They also have social applications, such as hosting a remote conversation with a friend in a "room" in which you can see each other.
ARM said the Mali-G51 will begin to appear in next-generation mobile devices in 2018. Because of the way in which ARM designs its products, there's a considerable gap between when a new chip is launched and it being integrated into phones. The company produces designs for processors that third-party manufacturers such as Qualcomm and MediaTek then build.
The Mali-G51 has already been licensed to multiple manufacturers. When it lands on the market, it's likely to be found in a range of devices from some of the biggest companies in the industry. ARM processors are currently used by the vast majority of smartphones so it shouldn't be hard to purchase a VR-ready handset.