Processor

AMD is clearly out for blood. Intel's blood, of course. In the almost distant past, AMD nearly overthrew Intel from its throne with its aggressive pricing and marketing. Now it seems to have gotten that aggression back and is hitting every market where Intel has a foothold, using its new Zen platform as its weapon. From high-end gaming rigs to entry-level desktops to datacenters, AMD is now taking the battle to the enterprise, where it is taking on the Intel vPro with its similarly named Ryzen PRO.

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Qualcomm's mobile processors usually follow clear lines. The 200 series on the very low end, followed by 400, 600, and then the 800 flagship platform. Things might get a bit hazy if and when the Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 comes around. Although part of the lower mid-range line, the still unannounced processor supposedly shares more in common with the higher, though now somewhat outdated, Snapdragon 625, potentially giving birth to a new line of wallet-friendly smartphones that not only perform well but also last longer.

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AMD has introduced its new AMD Epic 7000 series of datacenter processors, saying they come with up to 32 high-performance Zen cores alongside a bunch of other notable features and bragging points, not the least of which is setting multiple new performance records. The new lineup features AMD Epyc processors ranging from the 8-core / 16-thread 7251 to the 32-core / 64-thread 7601.

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Intel was never going to be pleased at Microsoft and Qualcomm's plans to run Windows 10 on Snapdragon processors, and now it's dropping heavy hints that it could all end up in court. The latest attempt to squeeze Windows on ARM into the mainstream, the announcement between the software giant and the mobile chipmaker will eventually see processors like the Snapdragon 835 running Windows 10 on models from ASUS, HP, Lenovo, and more. For consumers, that's only going to be a good thing. For Intel, not so much.

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Not too long ago, Samsung and Qualcomm boasted their Exynos 8895 and Snapdragon 835 processors, respectively. Both of these chips were manufactured using a 10 nm FinFET process, currently the smallest chip size in the consumer market. IBM’s Research Alliance, however, is proving that it has done one better. By halving the size but increasing performance and energy efficiency, IBM’s 5 nm chips has the potential to push the consumer electronics market forward, especially the IoT and even the smartphone markets, at an accelerated pace.

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Intel knows you're obsessed with speed, so please feel free to add the Intel Core i9 and the Core X-series processors to your List of Gadgetry to Covet. Unveiled at Computex 2017 this week, the new chips are part of what Intel says is recognition that no, not all PC users are created equal. Indeed, when it comes to gamers, content creators, and people dealing in compute-intense segments like virtual reality, the needs are higher than the current Core i3, i5, and i7 range can deliver.

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Almost exactly a year ago, ARM Holdings announced the Cortex-A73 CPU and Mali-G71 GPU that had their sights on empowering mobile and embedded devices to take on the computing trend of that time. Namely, virtual, augmented, and mixed reality. This year, the trends have shifted a bit and ARM is shifting appropriately as well. Launching the Cortex-A75, as well as the Cortex-A55 and Mali-G72 GPU, ARM aims to equip small-form computers with all the processing power they need to bring artificial intelligence and machine learning to everything from smartphones to your car dashboard.

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Apple is developing a chip called 'Neural Engine' that will be dedicated to artificial intelligence tasks, according to new sources. This AI processor will handle things like speech recognition, facial recognition, and other 'advanced capabilities' for Apple products. Artificial intelligence tasks will reportedly be handled by this new dedicated chip rather than the device's primary processor, helping with battery life and more.

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To the surprise of no one, Samsung has just created a new division within it silicon business that will focus on contract chip manufacturers for companies outside of Samsung. While it was probably a long time coming, the move couldn't have come at a worse time for Qualcomm, who is now beset by lawsuits from all sides. With Qualcomm begins to show cracks in its armor, Samsung seems to be getting ready to snatch up whatever piece of the pie Qualcomm might drop.

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In the past, it was usually dirt simple to differentiate between different smartphone tiers based on what features they had or didn't have. Thanks to the affordability of technologies and components, however, those lines are starting to blur. Qualcomm's latest announcement almost erases those lines. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 and 660 are its latest "mid-range" processors, taking over from the 626 and 653, respectively. But to downplay them just because of that label would be a mistake, as these processors empower with mid-range devices with high-end features.

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AMD fans and gamers and streamers thirsting for something new can finally quench their processor thirst. Making good on its promise last month, AMD is finally making its more affordable Ryzen 5 processors available for purchase for desktop owners. Built on the same Zen architecture that AMD has been singing about since December last year, the Ryzen 5 line offers a more affordable alternative to the monstrous Ryzen 7 flagships, but with the matching "more efficient" power management.

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Newer doesn't always mean better. Qualcomm learned that the hard way with the Snapdragon 810, its first new 64-bit processor/platform, notorious for its heat problems. And it might be reminded of that again, though thankfully to a less dangerous degree, with the Snapdragon 835. LG downplayed the advantages of the chip over the Snapdragon 821 it chose for the LG G6, and it seems there was actual basis for that. AnandTech was given some exclusive time to benchmark the Snapdragon 835 and, while there were clear improvements, the processor exhibited some rather mixed performance results compared to both its predecessors as well as its peers.

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