Introduction
Apple silicon is a chip designed and made by Apple, and it is made to be used in Apple products. The Apple silicon is an SoC (system on chip) for a computer that has the CPU, GPU, RAM, and NPU on one single chip (Apple, 2020). Its processing power is faster and more efficient than that of other competitors. This article is about why Apple silicon products are better than others (browser.geekbench.com, 2023).
Why Apple silicons, like M1 and M2, are faster than Intel processors
Before we start, we have to know the difference between Intel and Apple’s main usage. Intel CPUs are widely used by lots of users in lots and lots of different settings, so Intel should support a broad range of operating systems, software, and hardware. For example, like the clothes company, the company wants to sell lots of their clothes, but they have a limited number of kinds of clothes, and there are unlimited kinds of fits, so the company will make their clothes in a standard fit that most people can fit well. However, for some who need a different fit, they would not fit in those clothes. That said, in the case of Apple’s, it is different. Apple is a company that makes both hardware and software on its own. Think of the custom suit. It is made to be perfect for each customer. So the apple silicon is designed to be perfect for the apple product, increasing the processing power to be increased.Also, Apple uses the SoC system, so the speed and delay of communication between the CPU, the GPU, the RAM, and the DRAM are increased, leading to higher computing power (Apple, 2020).
Why is Apple silicon power efficient?
Apple’s silicon CPUs (M1, M2) got their high energy efficiency by adopting the ‘ARM big.LITTLE’ solution. It is the technology to put two different kinds of CPU cores at once. One is called Firestorm, and the other is called Icestorm. Firestorm is a core that can handle high-performance tasks like video editing, and Icestorm is a core that is not very high in processing power but has very high energy efficiency. Firestorm can be turned off only when it is needed. Also, Apple controls its battery usage by learning the user’s charging pattern to maintain high battery charging efficiency (Apple Newsroom, 2020).
Future of Apple silicon
Apple silicon has grown its technology and earnings rapidly since the M1 was launched to customers. Its high energy efficiency and strong computing power still make customers buy Apple silicon products. However, there are some limitations.
First, Apple’s silicon is targeted at B2C (business to customer) products, not B2B (business to business) products. Since B2B products usually make a very high profit, it is estimated that Apple will soon start to develop architecture for B2B. Moreover, Apple will soon start to make a 3nm processor that can be 35% or more power efficient (Gallagher, 2022).
References
Apple (2020). Apple unleashes M1. [online] Apple Newsroom. Available at: https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2020/11/apple-unleashes-m1/ [Accessed 7 April 2023].
Apple Newsroom. (2020). Apple unveils M2 with breakthrough performance and capabilities. [online] Available at: https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2022/06/apple-unveils-m2-with-breakthrough-performance-and-capabilities/ [Accessed 7 April 2023].
browser.geekbench.com. (2023). MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2023) Benchmarks – Geekbench Browser. [online] Available at: https://browser.geekbench.com/macs/macbook-pro-16-inch-2023-m2-max-30c-gpu [Accessed 7 April 2023].
Gallagher, W. (2022). iPhone 15 may be 35% more power efficient with new TSMC 3nm chip. [online] AppleInsider. Available at: https://appleinsider.com/articles/22/12/29/iphone-15-may-be-35-more-power-efficient-with-new-tsmc-3nm-chip [Accessed 8 April 2023].
