When Google introduced the Pixel 6, it ushered in a new era for the company, now as a device maker. This mobile was not only, for the first time in the Pixel brand, able to face the best alternatives on the market; it was also the first to carry a mobile processor created by Google itself.
Although the Tensor G was by no means the first chip designed by Google (in fact, the Tensor name comes from server processing units), it was the first time the company dared to leave Qualcomm behind and Start its own path as a hardware manufacturer.
That’s why the Pixel 6 can be considered Google’s first “truly” mobile; with all the good and bad that entails. And it is that, although Tensor G processors have several advantages over those used by competing mobile phones, they also continue to suffer from significant shortcomings.
New Google chips
Google’s limited experience with processor design is very noticeable, in both the Pixel 6’s Tensor G1 and the Pixel 7’s Tensor G2; and with the Pixel 8, expect some performance improvements, but by no means will it be a completely different chip. So far, Google has been able to compete thanks to the functions based on artificial intelligence, such as photography and image editing algorithms, for which these chips are designed; but as the rest catches up, this will not be enough.
Perhaps the key to improving Tensor G lies in the manufacturing process; and it is that they were born thanks to a Google’s alliance with Samsung and therefore have a lot in common with Exynos processors. But from the start, the plan was that this was only a temporary solution, and that in 2024 Google could launch its first fully customized processor adapted to its needs; the code name for this chip was “Round”, and it would have been a “real Tensor”, if you will. However, the development of “Redondo” was delayed too long, even after Google reduced the design and built-in functionality. To this we must add that Samsung already has its own problems with the Exynos, which for a few generations no longer represent the most avant-garde in the sector.
This forced Google to look for alternatives to develop its own chip from scratch, and according to a leak posted by Information, you have already found it. The development of the new processor was transferred to TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company), one of the largest manufacturers in the sector and which manufactures, among other things, the chips used by Apple in the iPhone. Its great advantage lies in its manufacturing processes, having already started production at 3 nanometers and already focusing on 2 nm.
Unfortunately, the transfer was made so late that it is inevitable that the chip will not arrive in time for its original date. Therefore, “Round” will not ultimately reach the market, but will be used as a test base for the next generation of processors. The first Google chip made by TSMC now it is planned for the year 2025, and will be called “Laguna”. It will be based on the 3-nanometer manufacturing process pioneered by TSMC, which will result in greater energy efficiency and less thickness.
Meanwhile, Google canceled several Tensor chips, which were likely to be used in other company devices like a possible Pixelbook laptop; the division dedicated to the development of this new model was closed at the end of last year, possibly due to chip development problems. The next two Tensor models, the G3 coming with the Pixel 8 and next year’s G4, will remain from Samsungso we will have to wait to see the fruits of this decision.
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