Google develops its own SoC, so Pixel is powerful?

Although the Pixel series has performed mediocrely, Google has always spared no effort in the research and development of auxiliary chips, hoping to use the power of chips to create unique product features for Pixel and thus increase its appeal to consumers.

However, after years of auxiliary chip design, Google has now turned its attention to the core SoC processor.

Google may develop its own processor

According to axios, Google will cooperate with Samsung to develop its own processor chip, code-named Whitechapel.

From the specifications, the chip is based on the ARM instruction set architecture, has an 8-core CPU design, and uses a 5nm process. It can improve Google Assistant and better support functions related to AI and machine learning, such as "always-on".

The chip has been successfully taped out and is expected to be installed in Pixel phones next year, and subsequent versions may also be used in Chromebooks.

At present, Google has no comment on this news.

The report pointed out that Google's self-developed chips can help it better compete with Apple. Just as the iPhone A series chips are optimized for iOS, Google's self-developed processors may also be able to bring more tailored optimization solutions to Google's software and services.

In addition, self-developed processors can help Google get rid of its dependence on chip manufacturers and have lower costs. For chip manufacturer Qualcomm, this is undoubtedly a blow; after all, all previous Pixel phones were equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon chips.

In fact, before taking the step of developing its own processor chips, Google had already made some plans.

On February 11, 2019, Reuters reported that Google has formed a chip design team in Bangalore, India, which includes at least 16 engineers, most of whom were hired from companies such as Intel, NVIDIA and Qualcomm.

The report pointed out that the chip team will focus on Google's smartphone and data center chip business, and will build a new semiconductor factory in the area in the future.

It is worth mentioning that some media predicted that if Google's chip project progressed smoothly, it might be able to get rid of Qualcomm's Snapdragon product line in the future; now it seems that it is just one step away from success.

Google Chip Layout

In fact, Google has always made a difference in chips. Whether it is the AI ​​chip Pixel Visual Core, the Titan M security chip, or the Soli radar chip, Google has been working hard on its core technology for a long time.

Pixel Visual Core

Pixel Visua Core is essentially an AI chip that assists acceleration. It was first installed in Pixel 2. Its most direct use is to improve the Pixel phone's photo-taking experience in HDR+.

The core part of Pixel Visual Core is Google's self-designed Image Processing Unit (IPU), which is characterized by full programmability and domain specificity. It was designed by Google from scratch to produce the best results with the lowest power consumption.

With Pixel 4, at the AI ​​chip level, Pixel Neural Core has become Google's official main AI chip.

Titan M Security Chip

Titan M is also a chip specially designed by Google for smartphones, focusing on security. It is mainly installed on Pixel 3 and Pixel 4.

Titan M can not only be used to protect the Android operating system and its functional integrity, but also to protect third-party applications and security-sensitive transactions.

Columbia University computer scientist Simha Sethumadhavan once commented:

I think it's really remarkable that Google has made this level of hardware improvement. It's much harder to make a breakthrough than software protection, much more difficult.

Soli radar chip

The Soli sensor was first demonstrated in 2015 and has gone through several iterations before finally being integrated into mobile phones.

In Pixel 4, Google has built in a miniature motion sensing radar Soli chip, which gives it the Motion Sense function. Users only need to move their fingers, and Pixel 4 can sense small movements around the phone, combining unique software algorithms with advanced hardware sensors.

Google

Although Google is quite strong in chips, the performance of Google hardware equipped with its powerful chips is not satisfactory. The market sales of Pixel phones, which are the core of Google hardware, are also lukewarm.

According to statistics from market research firm Counterpoint Research, in the global high-end mobile phone market, the top five players in 2018 were Apple, Samsung, Huawei, OPPO and OnePlus, with Google not on the list; however, in the regional markets of North America and Western Europe, Google was able to rank third and fifth respectively.

Obviously, this is not a good result.

Leifeng.com once analyzed the reasons why the sales of the Pixel series are not increasing, and found that there are two main reasons: one is that the price is too high; the other is that the shortcomings are obvious.

However, based on Google's positioning of the Pixel product - striving to create differentiated product attributes based on its own strengths, thereby pushing the Pixel to the high-end; the high price of the Pixel is understandable.

The shortcomings are obvious mainly in the hardware "bias" of Pixel. Although Google has surpassed its competitors in chips with its advantages in algorithms and artificial intelligence, forming a differentiated advantage, it has no obvious advantages in screens, microphones, appearance, and cameras, and is even slightly inferior.

Taking the Pixel 4 as an example, its 2800 mAh battery capacity and 6GB (Android flagship phones usually use 8GB) of memory are not competitive enough.

In terms of camera, Google finally abandoned the previous single-camera configuration and adopted a dual-camera, but it inevitably looks a bit shabby among the flagship smartphones with triple and quad cameras.

In terms of appearance design, the first three generations of Google Pixel used contrasting color design, but the fourth generation completely abandoned it; the screen has undergone design adjustments from 16:9 standard screen to full screen to notch screen and then to full screen (the upper and lower borders of Pixel 4 are seriously inconsistent), and it is difficult to reflect continuity in the overall design style; it is inevitable that it will have a negative impact on the consumer experience.

Although hardware advantages are a matter of opinion for users, hardware problems can have a significant impact on user reputation. Many hardware problems that affect user experience have occurred in previously released Pixel phones, such as audio input failure and phone heating.

Now, with news that Google will embark on the path of developing its own processors, it is not difficult to see that Google is still committed to leveraging the strengths of its chips, but seems to be somewhat blind to the shortcomings in hardware.

Competition in mobile phones does not lie in the performance of a single chip, but in all aspects of the mobile phone as a whole. The reason why the Google Pixel series performs poorly is not because of insufficient chip strength, but because of the shortcomings that have lowered its overall competitiveness.

After all, the barrel law tells us that how much water a barrel can hold often depends on the shortest part of the barrel wall.

[[322427]]

This article is reproduced from Leiphone.com. If you need to reprint it, please go to Leiphone.com official website to apply for authorization.