Qualcomm drops ARM for premium CPU

Qualcomm is dropping ARM for its next top-of-the-range mobile processor.

“With the 810 (Snapdragon 810) we made a conscious decision to use licensed cores to accommodate the accelerated shift to 64 bit,” says Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf, “our next premium processor will use our own 64 bit custom CPU architecture as well as the most advanced process node.”The new processor will be, says Mollenkopf “a device that returns to our internally developed CPU with integrated modem” made on “the latest node”.

As Qualcomm expects to sample the new processor in late H2 2015, then “the latest node” could mean TSMC’s 16nm finfet process – an as yet unproven process.

For the 810, Qualcomm used an SOC design by ARM. For its next Snapdragon Qualcomm will utilise its ARM architecture licence to design its own SOC.

Qualcomm has lost the processor slot in Samsung’s next premium Galaxy phone the S6. “We now expect that our Snapdragon 810 processor will not be in the upcoming design cycle of a large customer’s flagship device,” says Mollenkopf.

There have been reports of the 810 overheating. A recent research note from J.P. Morgan said: “For the Snapdragon 810 we believe the issues are related to the implementation of new 64-bit ARM cores (A57) which is causing overheating when accelerating above 1.2-1.4 Ghz frequencies.” All that Mollenkopf will say about it is “the device is working the way that we expected it work.”

For more detail: Qualcomm drops ARM for premium CPU