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Google has reportedly decided to replace Samsung with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) to develop its “first fully custom chips,” Tensor G5. The decision comes after missed production deadlines and feature reductions during the original project, codenamed ‘Redondo,’ led to a switch to TSMC earlier this year.
The new report suggests that Samsung’s chip may not be ready for mass production by 2024 and that Redondo will instead be used as a test chip for the next generation.
Scheduled for release in 2025, the next chip, Laguna and branded as Tensor G5 will be manufactured using TSMC’s advanced 3 nm process. It will offer improved power efficiency and reduced thickness for performance. The company is also working with Apple on the 3nm process to develop the next A17 Bionic chip.
While Google will continue to work with Samsung to design and manufacture 2024’s Tensor chip, it will gradually replace various Samsung components in each generation. Key components that will be replaced include communications, audio, image, and graphics.
The Exynos-based Tensor chips used in current Pixel phones have experienced overheating issues. (The Redondo) won’t be ready in time for mass production by 2024. The Redondo processor will apparently be used to design Google’s new Tensor G5 chip.
Also, there have been reports of several canceled Tensor chips over the past two years, coinciding with rumors of a Tensor-powered Pixelbook that may have been scrapped last year. A former Google chip executive with direct knowledge of the project pointed to challenges in coordinating work between the US and India, where most Tensor silicon engineers are based.
On the other hand, Google Pixel 8 Pro prototype images leaked months before the official launch. The new photos show the new sensor placed beneath the phone’s rear photo flash. We will likely hear more about the Pixel 8 series of phones in the coming months. Usually, the new flagship Pixel phones, along with some other Google hardware devices, go on sale around October.
Source: The Information via 9to5Google
