Allwinner’s first 8-core processor is still hot off the presses, but the Chinese chip maker is moving ahead with a new model.
The new Allwinner A83T processor features 8 ARM Cortex-A7 processor cores that can run at up to 2 GHz. It also features PowerVR graphics.
Allwinner says the chip uses ARM’s big.LITTLE technology (which doesn’t make a lot of sense, since these are all technically “little” chips”, but which probably means it can use all 8 cores at once or power down CPU cores when they’re not in use in order to save energy).
Allwinner’s A80 processor has a similar design, but that model has 4 ARM Cortex-A15 CPU cores and 4 ARM Cortex-A7 cores, which means it should be able to offer faster peak performance than the A83T. But the new chip should be more energy efficient.
The chip maker says the new processor is designed to balance performance and power consumption. The first tablets featuring the Allwinner A83T octa-core chip should arrive in the fourth quarter of 2014.
How does big.LITTLE technology apply when all the cores are same size?
That’s what they’re calling it… but I think they might just be misappropriating ARM’s nomenclature for making sure that some CPU cores shut off when they’re not in use… although all 8 *can* run at the same time.
Good question. Either it’s a miscommunication, and the SoC really has some Cortex A7 and some Cortex A17 cores – or they took a page from nVidia, and some of those A7s are on a different manufacturing process than others, to yield a different power/performance curve.
That, or some overzealous Chinese marketroid spewed technical terms he doesn’t understand, as usual.
nice, hopefully this means the gpu can clock higher with the left over tdp.
I wonder if it will be weak compared to others in its class?