All we know about the Google Tensor processor

Officially, the processor codenamed “whitechapel,” which Google has been working on and we have heard a lot about over the past few months, has become a reality. The company has recently released its smartphone processor under the name “Google Tensor” and it will be featured in the upcoming Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro smartphones. This is the first time Google has manufactured its own SoC (System on Chip) processor. The term “SoC” here stands for System on Chip, which means combining all device (phone) operating components like the CPU, GPU, RAM, etc. into a single chip instead of allocating different places for them on the motherboard.

The Tensor processor is expected to focus entirely on artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities rather than just performance power. But why did Google decide to develop its own processor and what can we expect from it? We will discuss this in today’s article.

Currently, all smartphones either rely on Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC chips or MediaTek processing chips, except for Apple. Apple has been manufacturing its own processors since announcing the iPhone, and has even started using its own M1 chips in MacBook devices instead of Intel processors.

 

Additionally, Samsung also produces its own chips known as Exynos SoC. It is important to note that all these companies rely on Taiwan’s TSMC factory to produce semiconductor chips for processors, including Apple. However, some rumors suggest that Google has this time relied on Samsung.

In any case, the Tensor processor is a silicon chip of the SoC type that is customized and designed by manufacturers according to what Google sees as more efficient in the things it wants to prioritize. Through Google’s official blog teasing the upcoming Pixel phones, we learned that the new Tensor chip focuses on providing more powerful image processing, enhanced audio processing, and other tasks based on artificial intelligence and machine learning. These tasks include improving real-time translation, text-to-speech capabilities offline, voice input methods, and enhancing camera capabilities.

This is the only logical reason why Google decided to develop its own processing chips. By abandoning Qualcomm’s ecosystem and choosing the components for the Tensor SoC chip, Google will gain the ability to hardware and efficiently utilize its phone components better with the operating system. This is unlike what Qualcomm does, as Qualcomm has to meet a wide range of partner visions, and from this perspective, we believe that Google has its own vision that pushed it to develop its processor by itself.

Unfortunately, we do not have enough information or details about the properties of the Tensor SoC chip from the inside, at least not yet. But what we can speculate is that the chip’s performance will definitely be better than the Pixel 5 phone. There are rumors indicating the possibility that the Tensor chip may contain a CPU with eight cores at a 5nm manufacturing accuracy based on ARM architecture.

What does the Tensor processor mean for users?

We believe that Google will surpass all competitors with this feature and may focus on providing updates faster and for longer periods than ever before, more effectively than Android phones that contain Qualcomm or MediaTek chips. Especially since all partners rely on Qualcomm’s roadmap. For example, Samsung phones with Qualcomm chips provide support for up to three years of operating system updates and four years of security updates, the same timeframe Google promises for its previous phones. In this context, there are expectations that the Tensor chip may offer the ability to support the company’s phones for longer periods as Apple does with the iPhone.

At the same time, tighter integration between hardware and the operating system will enhance Google’s chances of improving the user experience, especially in performance in tasks like photography, which has been and remains a key feature of leading Google Pixel phones. The Tensor chip may allow capturing images from multiple lenses simultaneously and recording from multiple cameras with different exposure levels. It will also add more processing features during the image capture and video recording process.

During Google’s announcement of the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro phones, we also learned that the Tensor chip will enhance voice and speech recognition capabilities, a feature that will greatly aid in voice typing using keyboard apps, along with enhancing sending, scanning, and copying commands while typing messages. It may even be able to correct spelling errors through voice commands.

When will the Tensor chip see the light?

Google’s CEO mentioned that the manufacturing of the Tensor chip took about 4 years. The result was Google’s ability to launch its own vision in AI capabilities and maximize the integration of hardware designs with the operating system, software, and core services. All of this has been achieved in the new Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro phones expected to be launched in the fall of 2021, alongside the new Android 12 operating system.