Apple's A6 Details and Timeline Emerge

MojoKid writes "For a CPU that hasn't seen the light of day, there's a great deal of debate surrounding Apple's A6 and the suggestion that it may not appear until later in 2012. The A6 is a complex bit of hardware. Rumors indicate that the chip is a quad-core Cortex-A9 CPU built on 28nm at TSMC and utilizing 3D fabrication technology. While the Cortex-A9 is a proven design, Apple's A6 will be one of the first 28nm chips on the market. The chip will serve as a test case for TSMC's introduction of both 28nm gate-last technology and 3D chip stacking. This is actually TSMC's first effort with an Apple device. The A4 and A5 have both historically been manufactured by Samsung."

Comments

Quad Core In a Tablet/Phone?

[rsmith-mac]

I love my quad core desktop processor, but I find myself scratching my head at the idea of quad core CPU in a tablet. Even with iOS 5's enhancements there's no true multitasking in it or any other tablet/phone OS - every application is interacted with in a full-screen monolithic manner.

Dual core CPUs allow the OS to do one thing in the background and not bog down the device for the running application, but what on earth are you going to do with 4 CPUs when you can only interact with 1 program at a time? This seems like it would only be of benefit to games and a couple other niche uses, otherwise a processor with fewer cores and higher per-core performance like the A15 mentioned in the article would be far more beneficial.

Re:Quad Core In a Tablet/Phone?

[jpapon]

Just because there is only one app running doesn't mean it is running in a single thread. While most apps might not take advantage of multithreading at the moment, if quad core processors become the norm I'm sure you'll see them starting to use it. That is assuming that Apple actually put multithreading into their iphone SDK.

Re:Quad Core In a Tablet/Phone?

[Stevecrox]

For me it's more about the manufacturing yields, the article mentions TMSC are struggling with their 40nm production process and this thing is 28nm being released next year. From what I understand TMSC is being used to remove Apples reliance on Samsung, I wouldn't be surprised if this allows Samsung, etc.. to jump ahead as TMSC don't sound ready to mass produce the chip.

Dual core makes sense because of power saving issues, you can have one low clocked core which is enough for basic phone functionality which is turned off when you started using the phone. In this sense I could even understand a triple core chip, you would have one low power core for when the phones not being used, then when it is you can move OS/Background processes to one core and have a 3rd core for running the main process.

Surely a purpose built GPU would give far better gaming improvements than an additional A9 core.

Re:Quad Core In a Tablet/Phone?

[Crash Culligan]

rsmith-mac: what on earth are you going to do with 4 CPUs when you can only interact with 1 program at a time?

This assumes that iOS will only ever allow you to interact with one program at a time. This also assumes that iOS doesn't do so already—ever play music while working with another app? It's a question of controls, and finding ways to work with multiple programs that works for the users.

If I were doing it, I'd consider a "half-screen" mode where you can have two apps open, one on each side of the screen. But that's worse than Apple-armchairing, that's UX-armchairing. *shudder*

Doesn't sound true

[KClaisse]

Apple has already had problems in the past with low-stock at launch. Why would they risk having even worse problems using unproven tech at a fab they haven't used before? There's always problems with supply when dealing with smaller fab tech, which will probably be worse with 3D being thrown in.

Re:Stacked Chips

[TheRaven64]

Pringles claimed that they were stacking cakes. They lost a court case in the UK over this a couple of years back - for strange historical reasons, you pay VAT on crisps, but not on cakes. Pringles had been avoiding paying VAT by claiming that, because they were made from baked dough, they were cakes and not crisps.

It is the GPU that wil matter!

[Bram Stolk]

Apple can afford to bring out iPad3 with a CPU that is not much faster than the current one.
What they can not afford, is stalling GPU performance.

If rumours are correct, and iPad3 will have a retina display, it will need a lot more shader performance to fill that screen with 3 million pixels. As it is now, it is hard enough to get 60fps on non retina displays with moderately complex OpenGL ES2 shaders.