https://liliputing.com/2021/09/lilbits-microsoft-breaks-windows-11-with-an-ad...https://www.tomshardware.com/news/apple-looking-for-risc-v-programmers Apple is currently looking for experienced programmers with detailed knowledge of the RISC-V Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) and Arm's Neon vector ISA for its Vector and Numerics Group (VaNG) within its Core Operating Systems group. Apple's VaNG is responsible for developing and improving various embedded subsystems running on iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS.
"You will work in a SW and HW cross functional team which is implementing innovative RISC-V solutions and state of the art routines," the description reads [emphasis added]. "This is to support the necessary computation for such things as machine learning, vision algorithms, signal and video processing. Push the state of the art in low level computation and drive them towards energy efficient and high performance implementations by tightly integrating software and hardware."
Currently, Apple has dozens of products across multiple product lines. For example, high-performance devices like MacBook laptops, iPhone smartphones, iPad tablets, and Apple TV set-top-boxes are based on custom system-on-chips (SoCs) that use highly-customized Arm cores. In addition, devices like Apple's Watch, Airpods, and Homepod Mini use system-in-packages (SiPs) powered by technologies from Arm. Apple also uses Arm cores inside its controllers (e.g., T2, W3, U1, etc.).
Western Digital best indicates why companies like Apple are going to be working with RISC-V.
ARM charges too much to use ARM's IP, really folks find that RISC-V being basically free to use is much much less expensive.
Toss on top of that the ARM IP buyout quagmire NVIDIA is promoting at the moment and you can see why folks are abandoning ARM like crazy.
With RISC-V you at least know where you are at the moment.
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Apple is currently more data per cycle efficient and much more power efficient compared to either of the x86 boys.
Apple's M-2 (this fall) is going to come out of the gate as Industry Leader on anything that runs off a battery. Industry Leader on battery devices BY FAR, it isn't even going to be close.
M-2 has M-1 derived efficiency and all the larger compute power of the new super Apple compute cores.
PCs are a different story --- they are coming across as being totally thermal limited as the core counts and power draws from Intel are simply immense and are getting bigger. AMD is headed that way too as they plan to put the AI and the graphics card distributed per chiplet all throughout their entire AMD line up, which means more heat evenly distributed across all the entire product line.
Yes, AMD gets hot too, you are putting a gaming graphics card inside your CPU after all .......
AMD's new socket A-5 tops out at 170 watts. That is a big jump from 105 watts for the A-4 socket.
....... Wanna buy the new inside-the-chipset liquid based super cooler setup, anyone ???? ........WHILE ON THE TOPIC OF STATE OF THE ART PACKAGING TECHNOLOGY .......TSMC has built 4 brand new packaging plants in Taiwan, plants that (for example) can take your first lots of TSMC contracted chiplets and VERY QUICKLY build out the finished processors quickly while using TSMC patented feature sets like vertical via connection stacking, inside the CPU liquid cooling and full die sized memory layers and AI accelerator layers, etc. etc. etc.
TSMC has a lot of new neat tech to sell you and they can stack it up for you up to 20 layers tall if needs be.
This sort of activity explains how AMD can suddenly and magically make entire product line roll outs appear seemingly out of nowhere.
TSMC has built this tech mainly for Apple and then for AMD, but since Intel has gone with chiplets from TSMC they can wind up using it too.
Many of the very neatest 5nm AMD tricks announced in the last 6 months actually belong to TSMC. All of the now delayed 3nm advancements announced by everybody belong to TSMC as well.
Ditto for Intel's much hooted and promised new 3nm tech features, they all actually belong to TSMC.When Intel starts referring to your new tech as "Intel tech" TSMC needs to really watch out for Intel's sticky fingers. Intel will flat steal your tech from you in a heart beat after they watch you use your tech to make their products for a lot or two and they finally understand how it works.
Price Increases from TSMCTSMC has said they need to raise prices due to their own supply chain increases and their need to build lots of brand new facilities next year.
TSMC has raised pricing for Apple (who paid up front for TSMC's original ASML machines and has paid up front for each of the newer lithography waves that have come on since then) a piddly 2-3% surcharge.
AMD has been 100% on board with TSMC since Ryzen started up and AMD gets a 5% surcharge.
Intel and all the rest ------ a 20% surcharge.
TSMC by its surcharge rate is setting the processor dominance order for the next 5 years ........
Intel as a competitive fab is not on up there top of things, you will notice.