TECH NEWS – Google continues to take a baffling stance toward its own chips, and the G5 was hardly anything to brag about either…
It would hardly be Google if the company did not find some way to hold back the performance of its Tensor-class chips. And it looks as though that unfortunate trend may continue with the upcoming Tensor G6 SoC, which will most likely ship with a GPU that originally hit the market back in 2021. Google already uses several-generations-old ARM CPU cores in the Tensor G5. Fortunately, the latest leaked information suggests the company has at least decided to use the currently newest ARM C1 Ultra and C1 Pro CPU cores in the upcoming Tensor G6, with the single large core clocked at 4.11 GHz. Even so, unlike the eight-core architecture of its predecessor, the new Tensor G6 SoC is said to adopt a seven-core 1+4+2 layout. One can assume that step backward is being driven by cost considerations. The latest report, however, is much harder to swallow.
A source contributing to the Mystic Leaks Telegram channel claims that the Google Tensor G6 will use the PowerVR CXT-48-1536 GPU, which launched in 2021. In other words, Google appears to be relying on a five-year-old GPU because of its odd fixation on minimizing die size for the Tensor G6, apparently hoping the NPU will compensate for the weaknesses, particularly in AI-related workloads. There is little doubt this strange choice would help Google preserve its margins, especially with DRAM costs continuing to climb. But it would also mean that buyers of the Pixel 11 lineup are getting shortchanged in a big way…
Thankfully, the upcoming SoC will also include the new Titan M3 security chip. Google’s Titan family of security coprocessors provides hardware-level protection for user data, including encryption keys and biometric information. Still, that is rather thin consolation compared with what Alphabet’s subsidiary appears to be saving by cutting corners on the GPU…
