Samsung Might Still Design Semi-Custom Cores; AMD-based GPU Nearing Commercialization
Samsung Might Still Design Semi-Custom Cores; AMD-based GPU Nearing Commercialization
Korean tech giant Samsung confirmed that it's shutting down the central processing unit project at the Austin Research Center yesterday. The project is responsible for designing custom high-end cores used in Samsung's Exynos mobile processors. Current custom cores found on the SoCs are called Mongoose, and right now, Samsung's on the fifth iteration of the core designs. These cores are called M5 and feature on the company's Exynos 990. Now, we've got some details for the Mongoose M5 and Samsung's future plans so take a look below.
Mongoose M5 Cores Found On Exynos 990 Will Be Samsung's Last Custom Designs As Company Will Collaborate With ARM In Future
British chip giant ARM has three major chip design centers across the globe, situated in Austin, Texas, Sophia, France and Cambridge, UK. Of these, the Austin team is responsible for developing ARM's high-end CPU core designs such as the Cortex A77 and A78. These cores either end up directly in flagship mobile processors or they're customized by Samsung and Qualcomm.
Now, after yesterday's news, Qualcomm will be the only Android processor company with customized ARM designs. Samsung's Mongoose M5 will be the last custom core design from the company as it looks like Sammy has had the idea of shutting down the Austin Center's CPU project for a while. But this doesn't mean Samsung's left the idea of customizing ARM designs behind.
According to Ice_Universe on Weibo, while Samsung has stopped designing fully custom cores, the company might collaborate with ARM for semi-custom designs. What differentiates custom and semi-custom at this point is unclear, but it's likely to involve fewer changes to ARM's designs. Whether Samsung brands these purported semi-custom cores under a new name isn't clear. In addition to these details for the company's future customization plans, we've also come across a tidbit of information for Samsung's GPU plans with AMD.
Samsung and AMD announced a partnership back in June for collaborating to make and design mobile GPUs. AMD, as few know, designed the first Adreno GPUs of the lineup that's now present in every Snapdragon chipset from Qualcomm. According to the deal, AMD will license custom RDNA GPU IP to Samsung for use in mobile products, and Samsung will pay AMD a fee in return. Samsung, for its part, announced in August that it expected GPUs using this IP to be market-ready in 2021.
However Ice_Universe, on the other hand, states that GPUs made with AMD's designs are close to commercialization. The tipster also mentions the year 2021 by stating that the advantage gained by Samsung through the AMD partnership will give the company a strong advantage in 2021 when most high-end processors will perform similarly.
Make what you must of today's information. Thoughts? Let us know what you think in the comments section below and stay tuned. We'll keep you updated on the latest.
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