AP Development Competition
Competition in the global semiconductor memory chip industry for a 64-bit application processor (AP) has heated up.
According to sources in the semiconductor and mobile industries on March 4, major AP suppliers such as Qualcomm, Intel, and MediaTek recently unveiled their first 64-bit processor, after Apple featured its 64-bit AP in the iPhone 5s last year. Samsung Electronics, on the other hand, is said to be leaning towards optimization rather than rushing into developing the processor.
AP suppliers are making a strenuous effort to develop 64-bit ARM chips in order to overcome the limit of RAM capacity, and to have a more efficient processing structure. In fact, a 64-bit AP is able to use up 4GB or more of RAM and process data 20 percent faster than conventional ones without any improvement in clock speed, due to the optimized structure of commands. In contrast, the existing 32-bit chip cannot utilize 3GB or more of RAM. That explains why AP suppliers are expediting the development of 64-bit chips.
To be specific, the world’s number one AP maker Qualcomm showcased two 64-bit mobile chipsets — the quad-core Snapdragon 610 and the Snapdragon 615 — at this year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC). The Snapdragon 615 is Qualcomm’s first Octa-core AP, and the Snapdragon 610 is a quad-core chip. Both chips are based on the 28nm manufacturing process, and support Category 6 LTE-Advanced 300 Mbps. However, only prototypes have been unveiled so far.
MediaTek appears to be active in the development of 64-bit chips as well. The Taiwan-based company revealed MT6732, a 64-bit chipset with category 4 (150Mb/s download) LTE connectivity and a clock speed of 1.5GHz at the same event.
Intel also developed its 64-bit Atom Processor Z3480 (aka Merrifield) for smartphones and tablets. The Z3480 is optimized for the company’s XMM 7160 LTE Modem. The dual core processor is based on Intel’s 22nm Silvermont micro architecture with a clock speed of 2.1GHz.
While rival companies are spurring the development of a 64-bit AP to dominate the market, Samsung is intensifying efforts to develop its own 64-bit processor, in line with its original plan. Instead of developing a new chip ahead of schedule, the Korean tech giant is reportedly putting more weight on product optimization, since Google’s Android platform cannot fully support 64-bit architecture at the moment. Some in the industry think that Samsung will first use its 64-bit chip in entry-level and mid-range 3G smartphones, like Qualcomm.