[Courtesy of Samsung Electronics]
Samsung said in a statement on Wednesday that it has introduced "Exynos 980", the latest system-on-chip (SoC) with an integrated 5G modem. It is ideal for 5G smartphones which consume a lot of electricity. A complex systems-on-a-chip (SoC) is an integrated circuit in which all the components needed for a computer or other system are included on a single chip.
Adding an integrated modem into a mobile SoC is seen as a leap in processor technology as modem-integrated SoCs are more efficient in power and performance and save space inside the cramped interior of a smart device.
The new Exynos chip, which is normally fitted into Samsung Galaxy smartphones, will compete with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 865 chipsets integrated with X55 5G modem. Qualcomm has released mobile processor chipsets, but the 865 model will be its first SoC to have an integrated 5G modem.
"With the 5G-integrated Exynos 980, Samsung is pushing to make 5G more accessible to a wider range of users and continues to lead innovation in the mobile 5G market," Samsung's System LSI marketing vice president Ben Hur was quoted as saying.
The new Exynos chipset, capable of supporting the 5G data transfer speed of 2.55 gigabits per second, has eight CPU cores and an integrated neural processing unit (NPU) to support artificial intelligence (AI) features on smart devices. NPU specializes in the acceleration of machine learning algorithms.
Samsung hinted at a new 5G phone installed with a stunning camera sensor with a 108-megapixel resolution, equivalent to that of a professional digital camera, saying Exynos 980 supports up to 108-megapixel resolution and up to five image sensors.
In early August, Samsung and Chinese electronics maker Xiaomi will work together to unveil a 108-megapixel camera sensor that would be the industry's first to go beyond 100 million pixels. Xiaomi said it has chosen Samsung over Japan's Sony for its new 64-megapixel smartphone camera sensor to be used for flagship smartphones.
In April, Samsung revealed a massive investment worth 133 trillion won ($113.8 billion) by 2030 to strengthen its competitiveness in System LSI and foundry businesses. LSI, also known as Large-Scale-Integration, is a chip-making process in which thousands of transistors are integrated or embedded onto a single silicon chip. Foundry refers to a semiconductor fabrication plant operation.
Samsung has tried to narrow a technology gap with its long-time partner, Qualcomm, which holds a majority share of standard-essential patent rights in the fields of wireless communication for mobile phones and data terminals.
Due to a patent-related agreement between Samsung and Qualcomm, the South Korean company is forced to sell smartphones fitted with Qualcomm Snapdragon processor chipsets in the U.S. market. By upgrading Exynos chips, Samsung seeks to increase profitability and its global smartphone market share standing at 23 percent in the second quarter of 2019.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
