Google Tensor, details on the new mobile processor

Intended for the Alphabet group’s range of Smartphones, Google Tensor is an 8-core processor using 5nm technology. This CPU borrows neural functioning. It is positioned in the class of latest generation chips from Qualcomm, Samsung or Apple. Able to overshadow its adversaries, this chipset uses ARM architecture and manages artificial intelligence better than its competitors. Here is an overview of this new product from the Mountain View firm.

A Smartphone chip like no other

Less than a year before its release, the media are relaying the news on Google Tensor. The Verge writes in its pages that the manufacturer uses designs borrowed from other brands for this chip. This new processor includes a GPU and a modem. It manages everything related to graphics and connection, without the slightest difficulty. Qualcomm itself is said to have lent a hand in the creation of the chipset. The latter then presents the same qualities as current laptop chips.

Google brought all its expertise in software engineering dedicated to video to the design of the Tensor chipset. The excellent camera of Pixel phones confirms its irrefutable know-how. Larry Page’s team wants to go further by focusing on artificial intelligence processing. The chip will have the same attributes as those used in data centers. Their neural system ensures learning and various new functionalities.

The Tensor chip thickens the Android ecosystem

Naturally, Google intends Tensor processors for its products. Future Pixelbooks and next Nest connected speakers will probably be equipped with them. All of the firm’s devices will be able to carry it to improve operability. The Android publisher wants this technology to be widely distributed. The inventor of the most used mobile operating system in the world even wants to harmonize it with his services.

Tensor will be perfectly compatible with Google’s digital offerings package. It handles Gmail, Maps, Calendar and everything else perfectly. Future updates will also take into account the particularities of this microprocessor. This general trend brings the firm closer to Apple’s strategy. The apple brand will no longer be the only one to have an almost closed vertical ecosystem.

A microprocessor for the Pixel 6 Smartphone

With the Tensor processor, Google intends to catch up in the ranking of the best Smartphones on the market. Equipped with this chip, Pixel 6 Pro the most ambitious model from the Californian company. Its tailor-made chipset should make it as efficient as its main rivals. The duel with the iPhone 13 Pro Max will be merciless.

Above all, Google’s phone will have the advantage of integrating cutting-edge artificial intelligence. For its part, the iPhone 13e of the name frees itself from GSM networks. It will make it possible to make a satellite call from any location on earth and in space. The Mountain View firm has reportedly formed an alliance with Samsung to release the best phone it has produced. The Korean brand is the only one to master 5nm neural technology with the exception of TSMC.

A CPU designed for machine learning

The name of the new processor is a tribute to TensorFlow. It is the platform for developing open source solutions for machine learning. This information comes from Osterloh, the vice president of Google Services and Devices. Which suggests that artificial intelligence will be the spearhead for this processor and the mobiles that will embed it. The firm is still distilling information on the chipset, but this chipset is similar to the ARM SoC.

Scheduled for winter 2022, the Tensor uses TPU technology. Without going into technical details, this chip is modeled on the operational models in the company’s databases. We must not forget that Google remains the leader in search engines. It is also a leader in hosting and storage with Drive. The section dedicated to the image signal (ISP) would have been reworked. In other words, completely new features will see the light of day on the Pixel 6 Pro.

Towards a phone with an almost perfect camera

The evolution of cameras embedded in Google mobiles no longer needs to be proven. The firm did not just offer insane sensors with tens of millions of pixels. It has also integrated machine learning and AI so that image processing is done optimally. Photography will never be the same again with this SoC of the future.

Pixel 6 can simultaneously take two very high resolution images on two sensors. The first will have a normal exposure. The other is made with the wide-angle lens with a fast shutter speed. Which gives photos close to the perception of the human eye at every moment. It’s not just about definition and sharpness. The device can correct blurry images if the user has moved.

New management of video functionalities

Thanks to the Tensor CPU, Google devices have unrivaled intensive computing power. Applying machine learning to video makes it possible to film in the most difficult situations. Artificial intelligence manages brightness or stability. It is even capable of shooting sequences against the sun. The vice-president of the firm explains that this technology is simply impossible on current processors.

The new Pixels will feature an HDRnet system. In other words, Google’s next cell phones will be able to zoom 10x in ultra-high definition. The processing speed of the processor enabled this technological feat. The features promise to be richly innovative. In particular, there is the possibility of creating subtitles for a video in French instantly. The language accuracy will be the same as Google Translate.

The joint venture is starting to bear fruit

The Google spokesperson was quite discreet regarding the technical specifics of the Tensor processor. The latter could use technologies from Qualcomm and Samsung. Assumptions suggest that the novelty will be able to copy the Snapdragon 888. This chip uses customized versions of Cortex-X1, A78 and A55 from ARM. The SoC could also be similar to the Exynos 2100 which equips the Galaxy S range.

For XDA media, Google’s processor will be a mix between the Cortex-A78, A76 and A55. Regarding image management, it will be able to embed ARM’s Mali GPU. While waiting for confirmations, we must say that the Pixel 6 will be a high-performance phone, especially in terms of photos and videos. It remains to be seen whether the battery and memory capacities will follow this momentum.

A Smartphone to manage augmented reality and more

Google is a leader in artificial intelligence. These connected speakers confirm it. Its technological supremacy is such that Apple rushed to recruit John Giannandrea, the former head of the firm’s AI department, in 2018. To stay ahead, the company intends to embed the new generation of augmented reality in its devices. Which is part of the logic of the WebXR editor. This collection includes a distancing radar, measurement of objects surrounding the phone and the virtual Floom tunnel.

During his interview with The Verge, Osterloh assured that the innovations relate to photography, video, but also audio. With Tensor, mobile devices will have Live Caption functionality. Running Android, the Pixel 6 Pro will translate lyrics in real time. He can also act as an interpreter with subtitles.

Google Tensor is difficult to position itself

Speculations are rife while waiting for the release of the Pixel 6 Pro equipped with the Tensor SoC. The only reliable reference would be the Geekbench test. The Google Smartphone would have a lower score than the OnePlus 9 with a Snapdragon 888 chipset. At the same time, AnTuTu, another benchmarking route, places it below the Redmagic 6 also equipped with the Snapdragon 888 chip. On the other hand, the processor Google-Samsung would be ahead of the Apple A14 bionic SoC mounted on the current iPhone 12 Pro Max.

Regardless of the scores and reviews given to Google Tensor, this chip is a big first for Google. Versions and updates will quickly rain down. Snapdragon editors are following the evolution of this major competitor. Furthermore, it is almost impossible to do without Google services, especially Android. For now, the Galaxy S21 and Chinese phones reign supreme on the Smartphone chessboard.