iPhone X chip shows problems of Imagination
September 15, 2017 // By Nick Flaherty, eeNews Europe
The launch of the latest Apple iPhones has raised some interesting questions on the IP used in the chips.
The A11 Bionic applications processor in the iPhone 8 and iPhone X uses an entirely new graphics processor sub-system, says Apple. This is made up of three ‘all new’ cores.
This points to a collapse in the relationship between Apple and Imagination Technology much earlier than previously thought.
The GPU in the iPhone 7 uses a custom version of the PowerVR GT7600 GPU, which had some disappointing benchmarks, but even in early 2017 Imagination was looking to replace that with a GPU design using its Furian architecture.
A new GPU sub-system would take at least 18 months to design and verify as part of the overall chip design on the latest 10nmm process so it is very lear that Apple has spent at least two years developing a new technology. This meant the architecture specification was being decided long before the public fallout of the two companies and would be consistent with Apple telling Imagination in late 2015.
To read the full article, click here
Related Semiconductor IP
- E-Series GPU IP
- Arm's most performance and efficient GPU till date, offering unparalled mobile gaming and ML performance
- 3D OpenGL ES 1.1 GPU IP core
- 2.5D GPU
- 2D GPU Hardware IP Core
Related News
- iPhone 4S Shows Key Design and Component Changes
- iPhone X Costs Apple Nearly $370 in Materials, IHS Markit Teardown Reveals
- Q.ANT and IMS CHIPS Launch Production of High-Performance AI Chips, Establish Blueprint for Strengthening Chip Sovereignty
- sureCore PowerMiser IP enables KU Leuven chip for AI applications to achieve dynamic power saving of greater than 40%
Latest News
- Cyient Semiconductors Enters Strategic Channel Partnership with GlobalFoundries
- Aion Silicon Successfully Completes ISO 9001 and ISO/IEC 27001 Surveillance Audit, Strengthening Commitment to Quality and Security
- Baya Systems Awarded Globally Recognized ISO 9001:2015 Certification for Quality Management by TÜV Rheinland
- Si2 Announces Creation of the Si2 LLM Benchmarking Coalition
- Qualitas Semiconductor Signs Licensing Agreement with Chinese SoC Company for DSI-2 Controller and MIPI PHY IP