According to reports from 9to5Google and XDA-Developers, the next smartphone in the Google Pixel series - presumably referred to as the “Pixel 6”, will feature the SoC (System-on-a-chip) GS101, codename: “Whitechapel”: the first processor designed by Google.
The report of 9to5Google claims that Google is working on two smartphones that will mount the processor GS101, based on ARM architecture and which is assumed to be intended for flagship devices, therefore replacements of the current Pixel 5.
Another report by XDA-Developers meanwhile, he reveals more details about the new SoC, claiming that the GS101 chips will feature a three-cluster configuration, with a TPU (Tensor Processing Unit) for machine learning applications.
As a reference, consider that the top of the range Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 (used for example on Sony's next flagship, Xperia 1 III) uses ARM's Cortex-X1 / Cortex-A78 / Cortex-A55 as its triple cluster CPU configuration. Additionally, the new SoC may feature a integrated security chip, similar to Titan m.
New street, from an old street
The idea of making a TPU and a custom security chip is not new: Google has already made it TPU per server and the Pixel 4 Neural Core and the Titan M chip it's already implemented on its devices since the Pixel 3. But the custom-designed GS101 would presumably allow the company to integrate these capabilities on a deeper level.
Rumors about a custom chip from Google have been circulating since the end of the year, but as a CPU primarily designed for laptops with "Chrome OS" systems such as "ChromeBooks".
The report of 9to5Google it also includes references to a codenamed “Slider”, linked to the new device which is said to also be connected to Samsung's Exynos SoCs.
The idea of Google-designed chips is compelling. Big G wants to follow the path taken by Apple, which has customized ARM chips for its mobile devices and computers, increasing performance and improving consumption, thanks to an architecture built entirely to make the most of the software.
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