With its Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, Google launched the development of its own in-house chip, called Tensor. It will make its comeback in a revamped version on the next generation of smartphones from the firm.
At the last Google I/O conference, the Mountain View giant announced that the next Pixel 7 and 7 Pro will be equipped with a SoC Tensor “new generation”. Nothing surprising, because Google has decided to develop its own chip in collaboration with Samsung for its Pixel 6, 6 Pro, and soon the Pixel 6a. However, the American firm intends to continue to develop its in-house solution for the future. On the other hand, we did not know if it intended to free itself from its South Korean partner, nevertheless a competitor in the smartphone market.
According to South Korean newspaper sources DDaily (reported by 9to5Google), Google will once again call on Samsung to manufacture its SoC. We also learn that the latter will benefit from an engraving process in four nanometers, against five previously.
The media explains that Samsung will use Panel Level Package (PLP) technology, which consists of placing the semiconductors differently on a rectangular space in order to waste as little space as possible. This would reduce costs and improve productivity. Note that these manufacturers have suffered the brunt of the component crisis that has affected the high-tech industry for two years. They therefore try to optimize their manufacturing process as much as possible.
Mass production of this new Tensor chip should start from June 2022 for a launch planned around October. It is not yet known exactly when Google will organize its traditional fall event, or if the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro will be available immediately or a few weeks later.
So far, the Californian giant has simply announced that this new SoC will offer “an even more personalized experience in terms of photo, video, security and voice recognition”. We know that artificial intelligence is one of Google’s workhorses, but we also hope that energy consumption, and therefore autonomy, will be at the heart of the project. Anyway, Google is not yet ready to ensure the production of its chip alone.