Qualcomm and Samsung in the field of Apple chips are in the bureau
In the chip industry, many people are speculating that Apple has a "king of the bomb" — a dominant force that others are trying to catch up with. Companies like Qualcomm and Samsung are also making moves in this space, but Apple has taken a significant lead. It was the first to adopt 64-bit ARM architecture, and it continues to set the pace in terms of performance. Thanks to Apple’s push, 64-bit ARM became the standard, but while it dominated the market, customer attention began to shift.
In the smartphone sector, Apple’s 64-bit chips, from the instruction set to the micro-architecture, have been nearly unbeatable. Even top chipmakers like Samsung and Qualcomm struggle to challenge Apple's position. However, at MWC 2018, we saw Samsung and Qualcomm launching their own mobile processors based on custom micro-architectures. According to Geekbench test results, these chips were only about 20% behind Apple’s A11 chip from the previous year. While they haven’t reached half the performance of their own generation, it shows progress. Still, the performance gap remains significant, and this situation is unlikely to change in the near future.
Huawei also invested in its own micro-architecture development early on, but it didn't announce any major updates at MWC 2018. The latest Kirin 970 still uses the standard ARM public architecture, and its overall performance is roughly half that of the A11. Analysts believe Huawei may release its self-developed micro-architecture chips alongside new high-end phones later this year. These chips could include AI improvements aimed at competing with Qualcomm, Samsung, and even Apple in the premium smartphone market.
Companies like MediaTek, Unisoc, and Qihua focus more on performance-to-price ratios and aren’t investing heavily in custom micro-architectures. Their products rely on publicly available ARM designs, which are widely used and stable. As a result, they typically don’t match Apple’s performance, but since their target market isn’t high-end, there’s no need to expect them to close the gap anytime soon.
Apple’s strategic investment in the ARM ecosystem has paid off significantly. Its long-term planning in chip design ensures continued advantages for years to come. Unlike other chipmakers, Apple invests heavily in R&D, and this continuous investment is key to maintaining its edge in the future.
The story begins with an old but influential narrative in the mobile and semiconductor industries. Apple’s early move into ARM architecture has shaped the current landscape, and now, as the market evolves, we’re seeing shifts in how different players approach chip design.
According to insiders in the semiconductor industry, Apple’s chip strategy extends beyond just chip design — it reaches all the way to IP suppliers like ARM. This deep involvement gives Apple a unique advantage in shaping the future of the industry.
So, how has Apple affected ARM, one of the most critical players in chip design? It started with ARM’s initial reluctance to adopt 64-bit architecture. For years, ARM insisted that 32-bit was sufficient, even in PC and server markets. But as applications became more complex, the 4GB memory limit of 32-bit became a bottleneck, especially in servers where 64-bit support is essential.
By 2012, ARM finally introduced 64-bit architecture — 13 years after X86 — but this wasn’t entirely its own initiative. Apple played a key role in pushing for 64-bit support, aiming to maintain its competitive edge in both mobile and emerging markets like notebooks and PCs. To do this, Apple worked closely with ARM, contributing 26 64-bit instructions over the years. ARM eventually adopted 18 of them in version 8.0a, and added the remaining 8 in 8.1a.
This explains why Apple’s A-series chips consistently outperform competitors. Although ARM made the 64-bit architecture publicly available, Apple had a head start in optimizing it. The company designed its own micro-architecture starting with the A5, and even the last 32-bit chip, the A6, was self-designed with optimized instruction sets.
Other manufacturers who used the public 64-bit ARM architecture faced challenges in catching up. While ARM keeps improving its public micro-architecture, Apple has already established a strong lead. Today, Apple’s processors are among the most efficient in the industry, approaching X86 performance levels.
Apple’s long-term strategy in 64-bit architecture has created lasting effects. But after being acquired by SoftBank, ARM has expanded into new areas like IoT and the server market, exploring more possibilities beyond what Apple initially laid out.
Meanwhile, companies that once relied on Apple’s chips are now developing their own micro-architectures. They’ve realized that sticking to public versions won’t be enough to catch up. Through innovation, they’re gradually narrowing the gap, but Apple’s early lead still gives it a clear advantage in the market.
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