Apple engineers working on ARM-based CPUs for iPhone
Future iPhone processors may be designed exclusively by Apple's new P.A. Semi team of engineers.
(Credit: CNET)The magic of social networking has confirmed that Apple plans to make its own ARM-based processors for future versions of the iPhone.
The New York Times spotted the LinkedIn profile of Wei-han Lien, Apple's senior manager of CPU development, over the weekend. Lien's job description, according to his profile, involves managing the ARM CPU design team for Apple, an extension of his previous work at P.A. Semi.
It's been pretty clear for a while that Apple bought P.A. Semi earlier this year to work on developing its own chips for the iPhone, but as the Times points out, Apple has never specifically said that it planned to make CPUs: many different chips inside a modern smartphone use a processor based on one of ARM's cores.
However, CEO Steve Jobs did say that Apple was planning to have the engineers make "system-on-chips" for the iPhone, which implies they were tackling the whole package, CPU included. Another solid hint was the disappointment expressed by Intel's Pat Gelsinger over missing out on the design win for the next-generation iPhone, as well as Apple's apparent decision to secure an architectural license for the ARM core.
Tom Krazit writes about the ever-expanding world of Internet search, including Google, Yahoo, online advertising, and portals, as well as the evolution of mobile computing. He has written about traditional PC companies, chip manufacturers, and mobile computers, spending the last three years covering Apple. E-mail Tom. 
System-on-a-Chip does not always imply a new CPU. Rather it usually means integrating (an existing CPU intellectual property, such as a particular ARM family) with other system components, into a chip.
The main drivers are usually reduced power and physical space, though cost may actually increase. The components themselves (such as the CPU) might not actually be customized at all. Instead, "pre-qualified" components with stable interfaces are used. Otherwise the cost could skyrocket of integrated components are still undergoing changes, which in turn affect the other components.
If Apple is going to make its own CPU, then "probably" the first iteration would not be a SoC design but a standalone one, to de-couple the CPU from the rest of the system until it is stable.
- by LunaticSX September 16, 2008 12:52 AM PDT
- Right now, mobile phones are all assembled out of basically the same parts, regardless of manufacturer. They've all got a CPU core (frequently based on ARM), radio chips for GSM/HSPA/etc., Flash RAM, GPS, and so on.
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(7 Comments)This makes it hard for any one manufacturer to differentiate their products when competitors can get something on the market with comparable hardware in it in a few months.
Notice how every new Apple device is torn down within hours of going on the shelf, and all of the major chips are quickly identified.
Apple's acquisition of P.A. Semi could conceivably give them a leg up on other manufacturers by putting proprietary chips into their mobile devices that are much harder for competitors to duplicate.