The Pixel 6 is said to be the first Google smartphone to feature its own GS101 processor
No time now?
In the future, Google will direct itself more towards Apple with its Pixel smartphones: instead of relying previously on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon SoCs, the manufacturer will reportedly use “Google Silicon” chips for the Pixel 6 and other models, it is said.
Nice He had been working for years Google is developing its own processors. After the chips dedicated to servers, security and Builduptimerung The manufacturer is said to have finally completed its first processors for smartphones and Chromebooks this year. According to 9to5 Google, XDA Developers Google’s GS101 SoC codenamed “Whitechapel” will be installed in the Pixel 6, among other things. Consequently, the company seeks to achieve vertical integration similar to what Apple does with its products.
GS101: Google is said to be developing its own chip with Samsung
How do 9to5 Google On the basis of internal Google documents, Google is working on two smartphones which should be equipped with the GS101 arm-based system. Perhaps these are the successors Pixel 5 (Test) And 4A 5G.
The documents 9to5 Google saw contain references to the codename “Slider,” which I’m dealing with with a common platform on which the new products are based. Internally, Google calls the self-developed chip “GS101”, where “GS” can stand for “Google Silicon”.
According to the report, Google isn’t developing its first chipset entirely on its own. The processor will be developed with Samsung Semiconductor’s System Large Scale Integration (SLSI) division – the semiconductor division of the South Korean technology giant. It could mean that Google’s chips could have similarities to Samsung’s Exynos SoC, including software components, 9to5 Google speculates.
Incidentally, this is not the first time that a collaboration between Google and Samsung has been reported. As early as April 2020 Ina Fried wrote about Axios The two were operating on a five-nanometer chip, codenamed Whitechapel. According to Axios, the processor is not only intended for smartphones, but also for Chromebooks.
Meanwhile, XDA developers want to know more details about the SoC (system on a chip): the GS101 chipset is alleged to have a triple-cluster setup with TPU (Tensioner handling unit) For machine learning applications. For comparison: Qualcomms The top of the Snapdragon 888 chip And Exynos 2100 from Samsung Relying on Arms Cortex-X1, Cortex-A78 and Cortex-A55 cores as triple-core CPU setup. Additionally, Google’s first SoC could have an integrated security chip similar to the Titan M that’s been around since Pixel 3 (test) Uses.
Google’s upcoming Pixel smartphones could get longer updates thanks to Whitechapel’s chip
By switching to its own chip, Google can imitate Apple’s recipe for success: iPhones, iPads, and Macs rely on hardware and software that are entirely in-house developed and thus coordinate seamlessly with one another. As a result, the manufacturer achieves excellent performance, battery life and long periods of software updates.
The latter in particular is the one ‘Frustrated weakness’ In the Android world, Android chief Hiroshi Lukheimer admitted years ago. Because major OS updates can only be offered by manufacturers as long as the chipset developers – mostly Qualcomm and Mediatek – offer support. So far, after a maximum of three years, both Google and Qualcomm have announced at the end of 2020 new products The processors also offer four years of OS support. By using special Google chips, the update period can be extended and thus the life of Android smartphones. Google’s Pixel phones may reach the useful life of iPhones, which usually receive iOS updates for five years.
How good is the first generation of Google chips? Although the company has been developing its own chips for years, Google has not yet ventured into using SoCs for smartphones. With the proficiency of Samsung’s semiconductor division, Whitechapel should be a step in an exciting direction for Google and Android.
More on this topic: Android 12: These smartphones should receive the big update
