[하와이(미국)=권봉석 기자] The Snapdragon 8 first-generation AP (application processor), which Qualcomm unveiled on the 30th (local time), raised performance evenly across all areas, including CPU, GPU, and AI.
The Kryo CPU has improved performance by up to 20% compared to the previous generation by applying the latest ARM architecture, Cortex X2. In addition, the Adreno GPU improved 3D rendering performance by up to 30%, and the tensor operation processing speed of the Hexagon processor, which is in charge of AI processing, which has been used more recently, has also been doubled.
■ CPU performance improved by 20% by applying ARM Cortex X2
Qualcomm is rapidly applying the latest architecture of Cortex, recently unveiled by ARM, to the Snapdragon AP. The Snapdragon 888, unveiled last year, applied ARM Cortex X1 architecture to the CPU, improving performance by up to 25% (Cryo 680) compared to its predecessor, the Snapdragon 870.
The first-generation Snapdragon 8 released this year is also based on the Cortex X2, which ARM unveiled in the first half of this year. It consists of a total of eight cores, including one prime core operating at up to 3 GHz, three performance cores operating at 2.5 GHz, and four epitaxial (low power and high efficiency) cores operating at up to 1.8 GHz.
At the Snapdragon 8 1st Generation Technology Session held on the afternoon of the 30th (local time), Ziad Ashgad, Qualcomm Vice President of Product Management, said, “Snapdragon 8 has improved CPU performance by up to 20% and power efficiency by up to 30% compared to the previous generation.”
■ Adreno GPU, performance increase by 30%…Long time high performance operation
The first generation of Snapdragon 8 also significantly improved the performance of the Adreno GPU. Compared to the Snapdragon 888, 3D rendering performance is improved by 30%, and a function for improving frames per second, a function supported by desktop graphics chipsets, is also introduced.
Qualcomm vice president of product management, Ziad Ashgad, said, “The Adreno GPU uses a new architecture that significantly improves performance and power efficiency for gaming and XR (extended reality) devices that will appear next year.”
“Competitor’s products show a significant drop in performance after the first minute of running the program, but Snapdragon 8 is designed to run at high performance for extended periods of time while rendering games at full speed,” he added.
■ AI performance is doubled compared to the previous generation
Recently, smartphones use AI in various fields such as text or object recognition, healthcare, and games. It is one of the reasons why not only CPU performance but also the performance improvement of AI processing-only chips is considered important.
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