A peek inside Apple's A6 processor

A peek inside Apple's A6 processor

SAN FRANCISCO—Apple Inc.'s A6—the processor powering its new iPhone 5—is likely fabricated by South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and may employ ARM's "big-little" graphics processor core scheme, according to a preliminary teardown of the handset done by UBM TechInsights.

Samsung was widely considered the favorite to build the processor for Apple, just as the company has done for previous generations, the A4 and A5. But tensions in the courtroom and elsewhere between the two companies in recent times led to speculation that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSMC) might displace the incumbent this time around.

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But UBM TechInsights said early analysis of the die markings of the A6 reveal markings that are similar to the Samsung markings found in the A4 and A5 processors. (Click to view an analysis and photo slideshow of the teardown).


Apple A6 die marking (source: UBM TechInsights).

TAG:Samsung Iphone Apple UBM TechInsights Apple