Apple A12X
The Apple A12X Bionic is a 64-bit system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc. It first appeared in the third-generation iPad Pros which were announced on October 30, 2018.[4] The A12X is an 8-core variant of the A12 (four big cores, four small cores) and Apple states that it has 35 percent faster single-core CPU performance and 90 percent faster overall CPU performance than its predecessor, the Apple A10X.[4] The A12X's design is also used on the Apple A12Z.[5]
General Info | |
---|---|
Launched | October 30, 2018 |
Discontinued | March 18, 2020 |
Designed by | Apple Inc. |
Common manufacturer(s) | |
Product code | APL1083[2] |
Max. CPU clock rate | to 2.49[3] GHz |
Cache | |
L1 cache | 128 KB instruction, 128 KB data |
L2 cache | 8 MB |
Architecture and classification | |
Application | Mobile |
Min. feature size | 7 nm[4] |
Microarchitecture | Vortex and Tempest |
Instruction set | A64 – ARMv8.3‑A |
Physical specifications | |
Cores |
|
GPU(s) | Apple-designed 7-core[4] |
Products, models, variants | |
Variant(s) | Apple A12, Apple A12Z |
History | |
Predecessor | Apple A10X |
Successor | Apple A12Z |
Design
The A12X features an Apple-designed 64-bit ARMv8.3-A octa-core CPU, with four high-performance cores called Vortex and four energy-efficient cores called Tempest.[4][1] The Vortex cores are a 7-wide decode out-of-order superscalar design, while the Tempest cores are a 3-wide decode out-of-order superscalar design. Like the Mistral cores, the Tempest cores are based on Apple's Swift cores from the Apple A6, and are similar in performance to ARM Cortex-A73 CPU cores.[6][7] It is Apple’s first SoC with an octa core CPU.[1]
The A12X integrates an Apple-designed hepta core graphics processing unit (GPU) with twice the graphics performance of the A10X.[4] Embedded in the A12X is the M12 motion coprocessor.[8] The A12X includes dedicated neural network hardware that Apple calls a "Next-generation Neural Engine".[4] This neural network hardware, which is the same as found in the A12,[1] can perform up to 5 trillion operations per second.[4]
The A12X is manufactured by TSMC using a 7 nm FinFET process, and it contains 10 billion transistors[1][4] vs. the 6.9 billion on the A12.[9] The A12X is paired with 4 GB of LPDDR4X memory in the third-generation 12.9" iPad Pro and the 11" iPad Pro or 6 GB in the 1TB storage configurations.[10][2]
Products that include the Apple A12X
- iPad Pro (3rd generation) 2018 11-inch
- iPad Pro (3rd generation) 2018 12.9-inch
See also
- Apple-designed processors, the range of ARM-based processors designed by Apple.
- Apple A12
- Apple A12Z
References
- Frumusanu, Andrei (October 30, 2018). "Apple Announces New 11" and 12.9" iPad Pros with A12X SoC". AnandTech. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- "iPad Pro 11" Teardown". iFixit. November 12, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
- "iPad8,8 - Geekbench Browser". Geekbench. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
- "New iPad Pro with all-screen design is most advanced, powerful iPad ever" (Press release). Apple Inc. October 30, 2018. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- https://www.techinsights.com/blog/looking-apple-a12z-bionic-system-chip#:~:text=Is%20the%20Apple%20A12Z%20bionic%20SoC%20just%20the%20A12X%20renamed
- Frumusanu, Andrei. "The iPhone XS & XS Max Review: Unveiling the Silicon Secrets". www.anandtech.com. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
- Frumusanu, Andrei. "Apple iPhone XS Review Addendum: Small Core and NN Performance". www.anandtech.com. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
- "iPad Pro Technical Specifications". Apple Inc. October 30, 2018. Archived from the original on October 30, 2018. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- Summers, Nick (September 12, 2018). "Apple's A12 Bionic is the first 7-nanometer smartphone chip". Engadget. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
- Axon, Samuel (November 7, 2018). "2018 iPad Pro review: "What's a computer?"". Ars Technica. Condé Nast. Retrieved November 12, 2018.