Fast approximate DCT with GPU implementation for image compression

•A multiplierless efficient and low complexity 8-point approximate DCT is proposed.•A flow diagram is provided for the fast computation.•The proposed transform is suitable for fast high performance compression.•A GPU implementation is provided for further increase of compression speed.

Recent developments in image and video processing employed in multimedia and communication systems require fast 2-D Discrete Cosine Transforms (DCT). The DCT is widely employed in image compression for its high power compaction property. Approximate DCT transforms have been developed to proceed faster than the original DCT while maintaining comparative levels of power compaction. This paper introduces a multiplierless efficient and low complexity 8-point approximate DCT. A flow diagram is provided for the fast implementation of the proposed transform. Only 17 additions are required for both forward and backward transformations. A fast and efficient Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) implementation for the proposed transform is provided. Performance evaluation shows that the proposed transform outperforms other approximate DCT transforms in JPEG-like image compression.