Despite What The Internet May Claim, The Google Tensor G2 is a 5nm Chip

Despite What The Internet May Claim, The Google Tensor G2 is a 5nm Chip

Except for this, don’t believe anything you read online!

Google-Tensor_c

The Tensor G2 processor powering the most recent Pixel 7 series was constructed using Samsung Foundry’s 5nm manufacturing process, as some of Android Authority’s keen readers correctly noticed in our coverage. Given that the industry’s leading processors are currently constructed on 4nm nodes from Samsung and TSMC and are anticipated to reach 3nm in the following generation, perhaps this is not what many had expected.

Some publications don’t do their due diligence, basing their articles on unfounded rumors from the past, unrealistic expectations, or simply reprinting someone else’s incorrect response. Some critics have even used screenshots from hardware apps for Android to support their claims, even though system files for Android do not contain this kind of manufacturing data. Even the incorrect CPU cores are present in one incredibly hilarious screenshot that we’ve seen. Everybody, every once in a while, makes mistakes.

We specifically asked Google for our original article, as is customary around here. Since then, we’ve contacted the Tensor G2 creator once more to confirm everything and restate the matter. The following response was given to Android Authority by a Google representative:

Google Tensor G2 was created with practical use cases in mind. We accomplished that goal while improving performance and power efficiency thanks to our final architecture, which uses 5nm. This strategy also enabled us to expand our capabilities while advancing machine learning with our G2 next-generation TPU.

That’s it, straight from the horse’s mouth: the Tensor G2 is a 5nm chip. This isn’t a thorough response despite being the second time you’ve asked. Although we know that Samsung is Google’s main partner, it doesn’t specify which manufacturing node was used or who built it. The same 5LPE process used for the first Tensor and a more recent 5LPP are the two 5nm nodes that Samsung has on its roadmap. We are unable to determine which Tensor G2 is being used.

Google-Tensor-_

Google’s wording makes it abundantly clear that Tensor G2 is not constructed on what Samsung (or TSMC) refers to as 4nm, such as the 4LPE node used for the Exynos 2200 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. This is significant given how companies love to tout their use of smaller nodes.

There were a few indications that 5nm was probably true, even without Google’s confirmation. One is the absence of a significant increase in clock speed. The Tensor G2’s Arm Cortex-X1 cores operate at 2.85GHz, an insignificant 50Hz faster than the 2.80GHz of the original Tensor. You might expect a larger jump with the switch to a new major node or a notable mention of increased energy efficiency. Although Google asserts that the Tensor G2 sub-systems have all been improved to reduce power consumption for routine workloads, this is not the same as saying that the processor is constructed using a more efficient method. Google also mentions the production process in any documentation for the Pixel 7 or Tensor, suggesting that it has nothing novel to boast about.

The Google Tensor G2 is a 5nm Chip_

To understand what all of this means in the context of the Pixel 7 series and its competitors, be sure to read Android Authority’s in-depth analysis of the Tensor G2’s internal workings.

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