Engineering:Apple A10X

From HandWiki
Short description: System on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc.
Apple A10X Fusion
Apple A10X Fusion.jpg
General Info
LaunchedJune 13, 2017
DiscontinuedApril 20, 2021
Designed byApple Inc.
Common manufacturer(s)
Product codeAPL1071[2]
Max. CPU clock rateto 2.38 GHz[3]
Cache
L1 cachePer core: 64 KB instruction + 64 KB data[4]
L2 cache8 MB shared[4]
Architecture and classification
ApplicationMobile
Min. feature size10FF nm[1]
MicroarchitectureHurricane and Zephyr
Instruction setARMv8.1-A: A64, A32, T32
Physical specifications
Cores
GPU(s)12 core[5]
Products, models, variants
Variant(s)Apple A10 Fusion, Apple T2
History
PredecessorApple A9X
SuccessorApple A12X Bionic

The Apple A10X Fusion is a 64-bit ARM-based system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc. and manufactured by TSMC. It first appeared in the 10.5" iPad Pro and the second-generation 12.9" iPad Pro, which were both announced on June 5, 2017.[6] The A10X is a variant of the A10 and Apple claims that it has 30 percent faster CPU performance and 40 percent faster GPU performance than its predecessor, the A9X.[6]

Design

The A10X features an Apple-designed 64-bit 2.38 GHz[3] ARMv8-A six-core CPU, with three high-performance Hurricane cores and three energy-efficient Zephyr cores.[5][1] The A10X also integrates a twelve-core graphics processing unit (GPU)[5] which appears to be the same Apple customized Imagination PowerVR cores used in the A10.[7] Embedded in the A10X is the M10 motion coprocessor.[8]

Built on TSMC's 10 nm FinFET process[7] with a die size of 96.4mm2, the A10X is 34% smaller than the A9X and (As of June 2017) is the smallest iPad SoC.[1] The A10X is the first TSMC 10nm chip to be used by a consumer device.[1]

The A10X is paired with 4 GB of LPDDR4 memory in the second-generation 12.9" iPad Pro[9] and the 10.5" iPad Pro,[2] and 3 GB in the 4K Apple TV.[10]

The support of Codecs by decoding and encoding is extended to HEVC 264 and JPEG. HEVC 265 (8/10bit), VP8, VP9, AVC and VC1 are available for decoding. AV1 is not supported by hardware. [11]

Products that include the Apple A10X

See also

  • Apple silicon, the series of ARM-based system-on-a-chip (SoC) processors designed by Apple.
  • Apple A10 Fusion

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Smith, Ryan (June 29, 2017). "TechInsights Confirms Apple's A10X SoC Is TSMC 10nm FF; 96.4mm2 Die Size". AnandTech. http://www.anandtech.com/show/11596/techinsights-confirms-apple-a10x-soc-10nm-tsmc. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 "iPad Pro 10.5" Teardown". iFixit. June 13, 2017. https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPad+Pro+10.5-Inch+Teardown/92534. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 Cunningham, Andrew (June 12, 2017). "Review: The 10.5-inch iPad Pro is much more "pro" than what it replaces". Condé Nast. https://arstechnica.com/apple/2017/06/review-10-5-inch-ipad-pro-is-pro-hardware-patiently-waiting-for-pro-software/. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 "iPad7,4". Primate Labs. June 11, 2017. https://browser.primatelabs.com/v4/cpu/3087381. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Humrick, Matt (June 6, 2017). "Apple Refreshes iPad Pro Lineup: A10X Fusion SoC for 10.5-inch, 12.9-inch Models". AnandTech. http://www.anandtech.com/show/11518/apple-refreshes-ipad-pro-lineup-a10x-fusion-soc. 
  6. 6.0 6.1 "iPad Pro, in 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch models, introduces the world's most advanced display and breakthrough performance" (Press release). Apple. June 5, 2017. Archived from the original on June 5, 2017. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  7. 7.0 7.1 Wei, Andy (June 29, 2017). "10 nm Process Rollout Marching Right Along". TechInsights. http://www.techinsights.com/about-techinsights/overview/blog/10nm-rollout-marching-right-along/. 
  8. "iPad Pro Tech Specs". Apple. June 5, 2017. https://www.apple.com/ipad-pro/specs/. 
  9. "10.5-inch and 12.9-inch 2017 iPad Pro FAQ: Everything you need to know!". iMore. https://www.imore.com/ipad-pro-2. 
  10. "Apple TV 4K Teardown" (in en). iFixit. September 25, 2017. https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Apple+TV+4K+Teardown/97511. 
  11. "Apple A10". https://www.cpu-monkey.com/en/igpu-apple_a10-158.