Post: Apple A6 Processor is a Custom Apple Design, Prioritizing Performance and Power
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09-16-2012, 01:00 AM
#1
3HUNNA
Splicer
As part of their iPhone 5 announcement, Apple revealed that the new iPhone is powered by a new "A6" processor from Apple. The A6 is said to have twice the CPU power and twice the GPU power of the previous generation Apple A5 processor. Beyond that, however, Apple offered few other details about the nature of the processor. For example, it's not clear how many cores the processor has or what the clock speed is.
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Early speculation had led some to conclude that that the A6 was based on the yet-to-be-seen Cortex A15 ARM processor design. The Cortex A15 is licensable processor design from ARM that promises significantly faster performance than the existing Cortex A9 design which is what Apple uses in their A5 processor (iPhone 4S).
Anandtech now reveals, however, that the A6 is a custom Apple design:
Anandtech explains that Apple is one of a few ARM architecture licensees, which allows them to create their own custom ARM processor designs.
While Anadtech goes into the finer details, the ultimate benefit for Apple is the ability to tune their chips towards their own specific goals. In particular, Apple's design goals prioritize both power and performance while the generally licensable Cortex A15 design was reportedly targeted at server configurations.
Apple seems to finally be benefiting from some previous company acquisitions including P.A. Semi and Intrinsity, both chip design companies. The ability to tune their CPU designs specifically for their products could serve as a competitive advantage over other companies that are reliant on the licensable designs provided by ARM. Apple's previous processor designs have been based on these more traditional designs, so this represents Apple's first departure into a more custom design approach.
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Early speculation had led some to conclude that that the A6 was based on the yet-to-be-seen Cortex A15 ARM processor design. The Cortex A15 is licensable processor design from ARM that promises significantly faster performance than the existing Cortex A9 design which is what Apple uses in their A5 processor (iPhone 4S).
Anandtech now reveals, however, that the A6 is a custom Apple design:
Originally posted by another user
The A6 is the first Apple SoC to use its own ARMv7 based processor design. The CPU core(s) aren't based on a vanilla A9 or A15 design from ARM IP, but instead are something of Apple's own creation.
Anandtech explains that Apple is one of a few ARM architecture licensees, which allows them to create their own custom ARM processor designs.
While Anadtech goes into the finer details, the ultimate benefit for Apple is the ability to tune their chips towards their own specific goals. In particular, Apple's design goals prioritize both power and performance while the generally licensable Cortex A15 design was reportedly targeted at server configurations.
Originally posted by another user
Rumor has it that the original design goal for ARM's Cortex A15 was servers, and it's only through big.LITTLE (or other clever techniques) that the A15 would be suitable for smartphones. Given Apple's intense focus on power consumption, skipping the A15 would make sense but performance still had to improve.
Apple seems to finally be benefiting from some previous company acquisitions including P.A. Semi and Intrinsity, both chip design companies. The ability to tune their CPU designs specifically for their products could serve as a competitive advantage over other companies that are reliant on the licensable designs provided by ARM. Apple's previous processor designs have been based on these more traditional designs, so this represents Apple's first departure into a more custom design approach.
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09-16-2012, 01:12 AM
#2
Millz
Worth the Weight
For the non-tech savvy, it's best to explain it like this.
The new A6 chip is using a 32nm process as apposed to the 45nm process in the A5. The process means less overall power consumption and increased performance. They probably used aluminum on the back to help dissipate some of the extra heat that is going to be expelled from the CPU since the process involves the transistors on the chip to be placed closer together.
The A6 is apparently a dual core chip. Due to the better manufacturing process and more efficient overall architecture combined with allegedly higher clock speeds, the A6 is able to crunch out the "2x" better performance.
Just thought I'd present some of my findings over here :p
Thanks for the information
The new A6 chip is using a 32nm process as apposed to the 45nm process in the A5. The process means less overall power consumption and increased performance. They probably used aluminum on the back to help dissipate some of the extra heat that is going to be expelled from the CPU since the process involves the transistors on the chip to be placed closer together.
The A6 is apparently a dual core chip. Due to the better manufacturing process and more efficient overall architecture combined with allegedly higher clock speeds, the A6 is able to crunch out the "2x" better performance.
Just thought I'd present some of my findings over here :p
Thanks for the information
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