Designed in Apple and created with technological solutions Samsung, given processor Built on a system-on-a-chip basis.
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That is, in a single silicon wafer, all the components for the implementation of computing processes when operating a mobile gadget: a microprocessor for general processing, graphics core, cache, memory controllers and other interfaces. As well Intel, Apple owns 10% of shares in the British advanced semiconductor technology developer Imagination Technologies. The latter does not have its own production facilities and only designs new microprocessors, in accordance with the design and technical requirements of the customer. 
Therefore, it is not surprising that the brand new A7 consists of 2 cores of the main CPU and 4 cores of the graphics module GPU, built on the basis of PowerVR Series 6 clusters, version G6430. Plus experts from Chipworks focus on a separate block called "Security Enclave" - a protected segment of memory intended for the operation of the system. 
Based on the results of the preliminary "opening" of the A7, a cautious conclusion can be drawn - the new product is built on the principles of the ARMv8 architecture and is not compatible with old version ARM A53 / 57. Technologically, the chip itself is supposed to be created using 28nm technology with an active metal gate. That is, in some way this is an analogue of those devices that Samsung developed for its own Exynos processors, which are installed in. Processor core is equipped with 256 KB of L1 cache and 1 MB of L2 cache, but it is not yet clear whether the processor uses part of the system's RAM, whose capacity according to the specification is 1 GB. 
But it is obvious - the 4 cores of the new GPU are much better than the 3 cores in the old A6 chip. Studying the arrangement of the elements on the plate, we can note that two main cores and cache memory occupy 17% of the total area, and 4 GPU cores and general logic take up another 22%. As for the notorious novelty, a fingerprint scanner and a protected memory area for storing them, it is problematic to assess its role in the chip structure - there is nothing to compare with. On the one hand, 3 MB is a bit too much, on the other hand, there is a need to store several prints, in different orientations relative to the sensor itself, and this requires free space memory. Therefore, a rather bulky SRAM module sits on the A7 platter, right above the cluster of GPU cores. 
However, the layout design of the A7 chip is similar to its predecessors - A6 and A5, according to at least, with regard to the location of the interfaces for interaction with the built-in camera, USB and touch screen... And Touch ID, admittedly, is perhaps the most reliable, elegant and innovative solution in the field of security. Accordingly, the development of AuthenTec itself and the analysis technical solutions used by them are worthy of a separate review - wait, Chipworks will do it soon. 
By the way, analyzing Samsung's own developments in the same direction, we will have to admit - before implementation fingerprint scanners into their devices on a serial basis. As they themselves recently stated in an interview with The Korea Herald, “the technology is not yet developed,” which means it will take at least a year before it is implemented in real models. And this is not the only one over Samsung - for example, if the main A7 processor is still produced in Korean factories, then the new M7 motion coprocessor is rebranded NXP LPC18A1. Chipworks also found out that both cameras for iPhone, basic iSight with Sony Exmor-RS sensor and frontal FaceTime based on OmniVision technology, as well as an accelerometer manufactured by Bosch.
Apple claims that the 64-bit A7 processor in the iPhone 5s is twice as fast as the 32-bit A6 processor in the iPhone 5. Let's see if that could be true.
An arithmetic logic unit (ALU) is responsible for performing operations with numbers in the processor. The processor has registers - memory cells that serve for temporary storage of input and output information. From some registers numbers enter the ALU, others leave. The source of information for the registers is the drive, RAM, processor cache, graphics chip, modules, sensors and sensors. Registers, depending on the bitness, are capable of storing numbers of different lengths. A 64-bit wide register can store any number within 18 quintillion.
Increasing the bitness of the processor does not give a noticeable increase in performance. So Apple doubled the number of registers. Theoretically, then the performance gain can be from 33 to 100 percent. This can be explained by an illustrative example.
65 boxes of iPhones need to be transported from China to Moscow in a car that can hold 32 boxes. We will transport 32 boxes at a time, then another 32, and then another ride for the remaining box. It turns out that we had to go there and back three times on the "32-bit" machine. If we take a car with 64 boxes, we will have to go two times from Moscow to China and back: first we will bring 64 boxes, then one. Despite the fact that there is twice as much space in the car, the process has accelerated only by a third. With an increase in the volume of goods, the benefit from a more capacious machine increases: if in China 256 boxes of iPhones are ready to be shipped to us, then on a "64-bit" machine we will deliver them to Moscow twice as fast as on a "32-bit" one.
In iOS 7, system code, drivers, and libraries run in 64-bit mode. There are practically no applications for iOS that effectively use a 64-bit processor, they will appear later. And not all applications require 64 bits. This is useful for games and photo or video editors that process large amounts of data. In combination with the support for OpenGL ES 3.0, which appeared in iOS 7, the performance in applications with "heavy" graphics will be noticeably higher. The performance of the A7 has been increased in part due to the fact that the M7 coprocessor will now process data from the motion sensors.
Another feature of a 64-bit processor is the ability to work with huge volumes random access memory... A 32-bit processor is capable of accessing no more than four gigabytes, with an area between 3 and 4 gigabytes reserved for hardware needs. In theory, a 64-bit chipset can access 16 exabytes (167 77 216 terabytes) of memory, a limitation that humanity will not overcome soon. The largest amount of RAM installed in a smartphone - 3 gigabytes in Samsung Galaxy Note 3. How much RAM is in the iPhone 5s, Apple does not disclose, but probably the same as in the iPhone 5 - 1 gigabyte. In the case of the iPhone 5s, this advantage has remained untapped.
In this material there will be a speech about processor architecture. Semiconductor products based on it can be found in smartphones, routers, tablet PCs and other mobile devices, where until recently it held a leading position in this market segment. Now it is gradually being replaced by newer and fresher processor solutions.
ARM Brief
ARM history dates back to 1990 when it was founded by Robin Saxby. The basis for its creation was a new microprocessor architecture. If before that the dominant positions in the CPU market were occupied by x86 or CISC, then after the formation of this company there appeared worthy alternative as RISC. In the first case, the execution of the program code was reduced to 4 stages:
Obtaining machine instructions.
Performing microcode conversion.
Obtaining microinstructions.
Step-by-step implementation of microinstructions.
O the main idea of architectureRISC was that the processing of the program code can be reduced to 2 stages:
Receiving RISC- instructions.
Treatment RISC- instructions.
TO both in the first and in the second case there are both pluses and significant disadvantages... x86 successfully conquered the computer market, andRISC ( including, introduced in 2011) - the market for mobile devices.
The history of the emergence of the Cortex A7 architecture. Key features
Cortex A8 was the basis for Cortex A7. The main idea of the developers in in this case boiled down to increasing performance and significantly improving the energy efficiency of the processor solution. This is exactly what ARM engineers ultimately succeeded in doing. Another important feature in this case was that it became possible to create CPUs with big.LITTLE technology. That is, a semiconductor crystal could include 2 computational modules. One of them was aimed at solving the simplest tasks with minimal power consumption and, as a rule, the Cortex A7 cores played this role. The second one was designed to run the most complex software and was based on the computing units "Cortex A15" or "Cortex A17". Officially Cortex A7 was presented, as noted earlier, in 2011. Well, the first ARM Cortex A7 processor was released a year later, that is, in 2012.
Production technology
Initially, A7-based semiconductor products were manufactured at 65 nm technology standards. This technology is now hopelessly outdated. In the future, two more generations of A7 processors were released according to the tolerance standards of 40 nm and 32 nm. But now they have already become irrelevant. The most recent CPU models based on this architecture are already manufactured according to 28 nm standards, and they can still be found on sale. A further transition to newer ones with new tolerance standards and outdated architecture is hardly to be expected. Chips based on A7 now occupy the most budget segment the market of mobile devices and they are gradually being replaced by gadgets based on the A53, which, with practically the same energy efficiency parameters, has more high level performance.
Microprocessor core architecture
1, 2, 4, or 8 cores can be found in an ARM Cortex A7 based CPU. Specifications processors in the latter case indicate that the chip contains essentially 2 clusters of 4 cores.2-3 years processor products entry level were based on chips with 1 or 2 computing modules. Average level occupied 4-core solutions. Well, the premium segment was behind 8-core chips. Each microprocessor core based on this architecture included the following modules:
B float processing lock (FPU).
Level 1 cash.
Block NEONto optimize the performance of the CPU.
Computing moduleARMv7.
There were also the following common components for all cores in the CPU:
Kesh L2.
CoreSight core control unit.
Data bus controller АМВА with 128-bit capacity.
Possible frequencies
The maximum clock speed for a given microprocessor architecture can range from 600 MHz to 3 GHz. It should also be noted that this parameter, which indicates the maximum impact on performance computing system, changes. Moreover, the frequency is influenced by three factors at once:
The level of complexity of the problem being solved.
The degree of software optimization for multithreading.
The current value of the temperature of the semiconductor crystal.
As an example, consider the algorithm of the MT6582 chip, which is based on the A7 and includes 4 computing units, the frequency of which varies from 600 MHz to 1.3 GHz. In idle mode, this processor device can only have one computation unit, and it operates at the lowest possible frequency of 600 MHz. A similar situation will be in the case when a simple application is launched on a mobile gadget. But when a resource-intensive toy with optimization for multithreading appears in the list of tasks, then all 4 blocks for processing program code at a frequency of 1.3 GHz will automatically start working. As the CPU heats up, the hottest cores will underclock or even shut down. On the one hand, this approach provides energy efficiency, and on the other hand, an acceptable level of chip performance.
Cache memory
Only 2 levels of cache are provided in the ARM Cortex A7. Specifications semiconductor crystal, in turn, indicate that the first level is necessarily divided into 2 equal halves. One of themhas to store data and the other has to store instructions. Total size cache at the 1st levelaccording to specifications can be equal to 64 Kb. As a result, we get 32 KB for data and 32 KB for code.In this case, the 2nd level cache will freeze. e from specific model CPU. The smallest amount of it can be equal to 0 MB (that is, absent), and the largest - 4 MB.
RAM controller. Its features
Any ARM Cortex A7 processor is equipped with an integrated RAM controller. The characteristics of the technical plan indicate that it is focused on working in conjunction with LPDDR3 RAM. The recommended operating memory frequencies in this case are 1066 MHz or 1333 MHz. The maximum size of RAM, which can be found in practice, for this chip model is 2 GB.
Integrated graphics
As expected, these microprocessor devices have an integrated graphics subsystem. ARM recommends using in conjunction with this CPU graphics card self-developed Mali -400MP2. But its performance is often not enough to unleash the potential of a microprocessor device. Therefore, chip designers use more efficient adapters in combination with this chip, for example, Power VR6200.
Software features
Three kinds of operating systems target ARM processors:
Android from search giant Google.
iOS from APPLE.
Windows Mobile from Microsoft.
Everything else is systemic software has not yet become widespread. It is not difficult to guess that the largest share in the market for such software is taken by Android. This system has a simple and intuitive interface and entry-level devices based on it are very, very affordable. Up to version 4.4 inclusive it was 32-bit, and from 5.0 it began to support 64-bit computing. This OS works successfully on any family of RISC CPUs, including ARM Cortex A7. Engineering menu Is another important feature this system software. With its help, you can significantly reconfigure the capabilities of the OS. Access to this menu can be obtained using a code that is individual for each CPU model.
It is also an important feature of this OS - the installation of all possible updates automatically. Therefore, even new features may appear on the chips of the ARM Cortex A7 family. The firmware can add them. The second system is aimed at APPLE mobile gadgets. Such devices are mainly in the premium segment and have corresponding performance levels and prices. The latest OS in the face of Windows Mobile has not yet received widespread adoption. There are devices based on it in any segment of mobile gadgets, but the small amount of applied software in this case is a deterrent to its distribution.
Processor models
The most affordable and least productive in this case are 1-core chips. The most widespread among them was MT6571 from the MediaTek company. Up a notch are the ARM Cortex A7 Dual Core CPUs. An example is the MT6572 from the same manufacturer. An even higher level of performance was provided by the Quad Core ARM Cortex A7. The most popular chip from this family is MT6582, which can now even be found in entry-level mobile gadgets. Well, the highest level of performance was provided by 8-core central processing units, to which MT6595 belonged.
Further development prospects
You can still find it on store shelves mobile devices which are based on a semiconductor processor device based on 4X ARM Cortex A7. These are MT6580, MT6582 and Snapdragon 200. All these chips include 4 computing units and have an excellent level of energy efficiency. Also, the cost in this case is very, very modest. But still better times this microprocessor architecture is already behind us. The peak of sales of products based on it fell in 2013-2014, when there was practically no alternative on the market of mobile gadgets. And in this case it comes how about budget devices with 1 or 2 compute modules, and with flagship gadgets with an 8-core CPU. At the moment, it is gradually being replaced from the market by Cortex A53, which is essentially a modified 64-bit version of the A7. At the same time, she retained the main advantages of her predecessor completely and completely, and the future is certainly hers.
The opinion of experts and users. Real reviews of chips based on this architecture. Advantages and disadvantages
Undoubtedly, the emergence of the ARM Cortex A7 microprocessor architecture has become a landmark event for the world of mobile devices. The best proof of this is that devices based on it have already been successfully sold for more than 5 years. Of course, now the capabilities of the CPU based on the A7 are no longer enough even for solving middle-level tasks, but here is the simplest program code to this day it successfully functions on such chips. The list of such software includes video playback, listening to audio recordings, reading books, surfing the web and even the simplest toys in this case will start without special problems... It is on this that they focus on the leading thematic portals dedicated to mobile gadgets and devices as leading experts of such a plan, and ordinary users... The key disadvantage of the A7 is the lack of support for 64-bit computing. Well, its main advantages include the perfect combination of energy efficiency and performance.
Outcomes
Of course, Cortex A7 - this is a whole era in the world of mobile devices. It was with its appearance that mobile devices became affordable and quite productive. And the fact that it has been successfully sold for more than 5 years is another confirmation of this. But if at first gadgets based on it occupied the middle and premium segments of the market, now only the budget class remains behind them. This architecture is outdated and is gradually becoming a thing of the past.
Hello everybody, Dear users the best mobile portal Trashbox. If you are interested new smartphone from Apple under iPhone name 5S, as well as the world's first 64-bit mobile processor used in the new product, in today's article I will tell you about it. Let's find out what the Apple A7 is and how it works. The most interesting, as always, read under the cut.
Apple A7 - new processor Apple. It is the world's first 64-bit mobile ARM chipset. Made according to the production technology of 28 nanometers. Official manufacturer of Apple A7 64-bit processor - Samsung... Uses the ARMv8 instruction set. The number of cores is equal to two, clock frequency is 1.3 GHz. Apple claims the new chip works twice more efficient processor Apple A6 currently installed in iPhone smartphone 5. Of course, increasing the bitness of the processor does not give any significant increase in performance, so Apple has doubled the number of registers. Thus, theoretically, after that, the increase in overall productivity can be from 33 to as much as 100 percent.
It is known that the new Apple A7 processor is comparable in processing power to desktop solutions. Compared to the very first generation of Apple processors, the new 64-bit chip delivers 40x the overall performance and 56x the speed. graphics subsystem... It is officially confirmed that the 64-bit Apple A7 processor has two processing cores, and not four, as previously thought. The integrated PowerVR G6430 GPU is responsible for graphics processing. Reviewers point out that the Apple A7 is one of the fastest mobile processors currently available. Despite “only” two computing cores, the new chip outperforms the quad-core in a number of tasks. Qualcomm processor Snapdragon 800.
From the course of informatics in grades 10-11, we know that an arithmetic-logical unit, or in abbreviated form ALU, is responsible for performing operations with numbers in the processor. The processor has registers, the so-called memory locations. They serve as input and output information for temporary storage. From some registers, numbers enter the arithmetic-logic unit, while others leave. Sources of information in this case are the drive, RAM, processor cache, graphics chip, as well as modules, sensors and sensors. Depending on the bitness of the processor, the registers are capable of storing numbers of different lengths. A 64-bit wide register can store any number within 18 quintillion.
In the new mobile operating room iOS system 7 system code, drivers, and libraries work in 64-bit mode, as it should be. However, there are no applications that really effectively use the new 64-bit Apple A7 processor, but, according to the manufacturer, they will appear later. Of course, not all applications require the new 64-bit architecture, but it will be useful for graphics-heavy games and photo and video processing. In addition, thanks to support for OpenGL ES 3.0, the performance of the graphics component in games will be noticeably higher.
In addition to twice the performance, another feature of a mobile 64-bit processor is the ability to work with large amounts of RAM. As for the 32-bit processor in this case, it is capable of accessing no more than four gigabytes. Apple processor The A7, on the other hand, can access 16 exabytes or 16,777,216 terabytes of memory, which is incredibly large.
