5 Things You Must Know About Next-Gen Smartphone Processors
With the advancement of technology, the next generation of smartphone processors vows even greater performance, efficiency, and advanced features. During Arm Tech Day 2023, a set of new CPU cores covering high-performance and low-power use cases were unveiled along with its fifth-generation GPU together with ray tracing graphics support. So, let’s discuss the important need-to-knows about all this cutting-edge technology.
Things You Need To Know About Next-Gen Smartphone Processors
Goodbye 32-Bit Architecture
As a part of the technological advancements, the shift from 32-bit processors to 64-bit processors has become more dominant. The industry has been slowly moving towards 64-bit architecture due to its numerous advantages. The benefits of 64-bit architecture include increased memory capacity, improved performance, and better compatibility with modern software and applications. Therefore, it is true that there will probably be no new 32-bit processors in the future.
It is a huge software implication indeed. The new Arm processors are all 64-bit-only, including the little cores. The point worth mentioning here is that there won’t be a 32-bit revision of any of these cores. All the latest Arm cores are built on the latest ARMv9.2 architecture. Let me tell you that any chip that uses them cannot mix in with 32-bit capable cores. The point is that all future high-end smartphone chipsets and Arm SoCs in other segments, like laptops, will all be 64-bit only.
64-bit processors allow for a larger addressable memory space for more RAM effectively. This is especially important for resource-intensive tasks, such as gaming, video editing, and running complex software applications. The larger memory capacity provided by 64-bit processors allows improved multitasking and allows gadgets to handle more data simultaneously. In addition to that, these 64-bit processors will enhance performance capabilities.
No Throttling Back Due To Big Cores
Next-generation smartphone processors are definitely anticipated to come with big cores that are designed to provide high performance without throttling back. Let me tell you that throttling is a process in which a machine reduces its performance to control overheating and manage power consumption.
Three new CPU cores started the actual hardware announcements. Let me tell you that these follow from 2022’s Cortex-X3, A-715, and A510 cores that powered several flagship chipsets, including the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
- powerhouse Cortex-X4
- mid-tier Cortex-A720
- energy-efficient Cortex-A520
It is quite clear from the above reports that this year includes an average of 14% more performance for a 3.4GHz Cortex-X4 over a typical 3.25GHz X3 found in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 when corresponding single-threaded workloads on the same manufacturing node. There is a 40% reduction in power consumption for the same performance as far as Cortex-X3 is concerned.
However, improvements in semiconductor technology and chip design are allowing smartphone manufacturers to develop processors with more efficient heat dissipation and power management capabilities. It will be allowing big cores to maintain their performance without significant throttling.
Smaller Cores to Keep Your Mobile Phones Racing Longer
The Cortex-X720 is more optimized as compared to the X4. The CPU core is 20% more power efficient as compared to last year’s Cortex-A715 core. However, the chip can provide 4% more performance for the same power consumption. The key to this amazing design win lies in shorter and more efficient pipelines. It no doubt, implements a version of the Cortex-X series’ spatial-prefetch engine to fetch instructions into the core more optimally.
Arm also unveiled Cortex-A720. The cache size has been reduced together with physical shrinking. In its smallest configuration, the Cortex-A720 can provide 10% more performance and all of ARMv9’s security. These more efficient CPU cores are all set to be a boon for battery life. Isn’t it? Then comes another new energy-efficient CPU core, the Cortex-A520. It has a 22% efficiency gain over last year’s A510 design and potentially more to come with smaller manufacturing nodes.
Weird Core designs
Arm revealed an intriguing 1+5+2 setup during its presentation. The five middle CPU cores are tipped to provide extra sustainable threads for improved gaming performance. In addition to that, it will benefit from multi-threaded capabilities. Moreover, the latest version of DynamIQ will support 14 cores per cluster, but such an extensive setup is intended for a laptop rather than smartphone use cases.
No doubt, CPU layouts are completely up to Arm’s silicon partners, such as Qualcomm, Samsung, etc, who may or may not have identified similar trends. However, Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 leaks definitely suggest they may have. Let’s see what happens. Time will tell.
Next-gen Immortalis graphics
Arm introduced three new entries in mid to premium tiers of the market. All three are made on Arm’s 5th Gen GPU architecture. They boast 4% performance and 40% less memory bandwidth improvements than the previous generation. They come in just 2% more area per core than last year.
Arm Immortalis G720 is the flagship product along with mandatory ray-tracing capabilities. Reports claim that regular Mali-G720 can be built with 6 to 9 cores. They are tipped to also include ray tracing, but Arm doesn’t recommend this because the lower core count will not produce a great ray tracing experience. Last, but not least, the Mali-G620 is a more affordable option, with five cores or fewer. The configuration has the same area as the Mali-G510 but offers more performance and features.
No doubt, it is still extremely impressive that next-generation smartphones and Arm-based PCs will continue to witness large performance gains over devices that only launched within the last twelve months. We are quite excited to see smartphones powered by Arm’s latest CPU and GPU core designs tipped to launch around the end of 2023. What do you guys think?
Also Read: Pakistan’s Tech Industry: A Rising Powerhouse of Innovation and Talent (phoneworld.com.pk)
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