Rumors and leaks suggest Google is developing its own silicon, which is to say it may be designing its own chips for the next Pixel phone and possibly other devices. The buzz about a custom system-on-a-chip (SoC) from Google first broke last year but recent news indicates those plans may be moving forward for 2021. While the search giant is not known as a chip designer, it does have experience in that area and the early Pixel phones did rely on custom components for some of their computational photography prowess.

The first Google Pixel, released in 2016, relied upon Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 for all of its processing and Google did a remarkable job of making it feel smooth and snappy while supercharging the camera with computational imaging that shocked the smartphone and photography industries. To speed up and further enhance the processing, Google designed a custom SoC, called the Pixel Visual Core for the Pixel 2. The Pixel 3 also contained this Google chip, which can also be used for artificial intelligence. By the time the Pixel 4 came out in 2019, AI was more important than ever and the chip was renamed as the Pixel Neural Core, but it still handles some of the camera work and also processes audio in some cases. This means Google has been designing custom silicon for mobile devices for several years and Google Tensor processing units (TPU) have been powering its servers for AI and cloud services since 2015.

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While Google has experience with chip design, it has primarily been oriented toward solving particular types of problems that arise with AI, visual and sound signal processing. To launch into a general central processing unit (CPU) design based on its TPU expertise may be a bit of a stretch, but it has bolstered its CPU team, bringing Uri Frank on board in March, leaving Intel after 20 years. Google has been researching this for quite some time, at least since last year when Axios shared rumors of a new chip from Google with codename ‘Whitechapel.’ It was said to use a 5-nanometer node, the same as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 and Apple A14, and feature an 8-core ARM processor. The story suggests a collaboration with Samsung and implies that Google may incorporate some of the technology developed for Samsung’s latest Exynos SoC, the latest model the Exynos 2100 matches up well with Qualcomm’s current best, the Snapdragon 888.

Google Silicon Devices

9to5Google claims to have seen a document that confirms the details mentioned by Axios and adds that the core platform may be known internally as ‘Slider,’ which appears to be used for at least two Pixel phones with codenames, ‘Raven’ and ‘Oriole.’ Google may launch a Pixel 6 and a budget model, which may be the Pixel 5a. Another possibility is that there may be a return to a larger and smaller version, a Pixel 6 and 6 XL. This was the pattern followed from the beginning, until last year when there was only one size for the Pixel 5.

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The reports from both 9to5Google and Axios also make mention of Google Silicon being used in a Chromebook. Using the chip in more than just the Pixel phones makes financial sense because the volume of phones Google sells may not offset the cost of designing its own processors. Finding additional uses helps justify the investment since the expense can be shared by other divisions of the company. Apple and Samsung use their processors in both phones and tablets, so this is a common technique of extracting more value from the research and development.

Performance Of GS101

Mishaal Rahman, Editor-in-Chief of XDA Developers, tweeted that he had seen evidence of the GS101 powering the next Google Pixel and added that it will use a three-cluster TPU and a new security chip called ‘Dauntless.’ The linked XDA Developers article suggested that Google Silicon may be comparable to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7-series, which is not as powerful as the 8-series. Since the GS101 is expected to be used in a Chromebook as well as two Pixel phones, some may wonder if an upper-mid-range phone SoC would have good enough performance. Many ChromeOS devices have modest processors although Google’s Pixelbook was once competitive with mainstream laptops. The Pixel Slate tablet (2018) and Pixelbook Go (2019) that followed have not been updated since the first release. With Apple in the process of shifting fully to ARM-based laptops and desktops, perhaps Google will bring a surprise with a more powerful SoC that will see the emergence of another strong Pixelbook.

Why Google Silicon?

Google Pixel phones typically have great performance and even their budget models feel snappy, so some may wonder why Google would bother with a custom SoC. The reason could be that the processor is more important than ever in expanding the potential of a mobile device. This is because of the rapid adoption of computational photography, enhanced audio processing, and personal assistants. A modern smartphone needs to excel at all of these tasks, while gently sipping power and fending off security threats. Qualcomm, Apple, and Samsung have handled these issues very well with their dominant chip designs. Google could simply place a Snapdragon 888 in the Pixel 6 and many would happily purchase that device, knowing that it would be a step up from the Pixel 5 and on par with the many other phones that share that processor. However, if Google creates something completely new, it may offer something extra that can’t be found from competitors. Perhaps Google wishes to return to the early days of the Pixel when it had something quite unique.

Naturally, Google would add plenty of its own computational magic to the mix in any SoC it designs integrating the visual and neural cores with the CPU, even if it relies heavily on Samsung’s Exynos. Google is recognized as a leader in machine learning and artificial intelligence. Since 2020, the company has been directing that powerful and sometimes shockingly insightful technology toward the task of chip design. Could 2021 be the year that the fruits of that labor will be revealed with Google launching a new era of computational chip design?

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Google described using AI to design an AI chip, specifically placing components in an optimal location to facilitate the best speed and least power use possible. It is also a leading researcher in quantum computing, though it may be a stretch to imagine a mobile quantum processor landing in 2021. If Google actually does go off-book with a custom SoC designed by an AI, the rumored GS101 will certainly be notable in some way, perhaps spurring the next leap in computational photography, bringing the smartest personal assistant ever seen in a smartphone, or simply offering great performance backed by remarkable battery life.

Source: Axios, 9to5Google, Mishaal Rahman/Twitter, XDA Developers

 

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About The Author


Alan Truly
(1148 Articles Published)

Alan is a Tech Writer living in Nova Scotia, Canada. A tech-enthusiast since his youth, Alan stays current on what is new and what is next. With over 30 years experience in computer, video and photo equipment, you can expect useful tips and insights in his writing. Alan has a degree in programming, many years focused on design, editing, and animation. A period of managing logistics and e-commerce operations for a mobile accessories company rounds out a diverse background. Alan is a true jack of all digital trades in this ever-changing computer-enriched world. To stay flexible in mind and in body, he practices yoga, light cardio, and eats a whole food diet, based on minimally processed plants.

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