Apple A11

Last updated

Apple A11 Bionic
Apple A11.jpg
General information
LaunchedSeptember 12, 2017;7 years ago (2017-09-12)
DiscontinuedApril 15, 2020;4 years ago (2020-04-15)
Designed by Apple Inc.
Common manufacturer
Product codeAPL1W72 [2]
Max. CPU clock rate to 2.38 [3]  GHz
Cache
L1 cache 64 KB instruction, 64 KB data [4]
L2 cache8 MB
Architecture and classification
ApplicationMobile
Technology node 10 nm (10FF) [1]
Microarchitecture "Monsoon" and "Mistral"
Instruction set A64 – ARMv8.2-A
Physical specifications
Transistors
  • 4.3 billion
Cores
GPU Apple-designed 3 core [6]
History
Predecessors Apple A10 Fusion (iPhone)
Apple A10X Fusion (iPad)
Successor Apple A12 Bionic

The Apple A11 Bionic is a 64-bit ARM-based system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc., part of the Apple silicon series, [6] and manufactured by TSMC. [1] It first appeared in the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, and iPhone X which were introduced on September 12, 2017. [6] Apple states that the two high-performance cores are 25% faster than the Apple A10's and the four high-efficiency cores are up to 70% faster than the two corresponding cores in the A10. [6] [7] The A11 Bionic chip was discontinued on April 15, 2020, following the discontinuation of the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. The latest software update for the iPhone 8 & 8 Plus and iPhone X using this chip was iOS 16.7.10, released on September 3, 2024. [8]

Contents

Design

The A11 features an Apple-designed 64-bit ARMv8-A six-core CPU, with two high-performance cores at 2.39 GHz, called Monsoon, and four energy-efficient cores, called Mistral. [1] [6] [5] The Monsoon cores are a 7-wide decode out-of-order superscalar design, while the Mistral cores are a 3-wide decode out-of-order superscalar design. The Mistral cores are based on Apple's Swift cores from the Apple A6. [9] [ failed verification ] The A11 uses a new second-generation performance controller, which permits the A11 to use all six cores simultaneously, [10] unlike its predecessor the A10.

The A11 also integrates an Apple-designed three-core graphics processing unit (GPU) with 30% faster graphics performance than the A10. [6] Embedded in the A11 is the M11 motion coprocessor. [11] The A11 includes a new image processor which supports computational photography functions such as lighting estimation, wide color capture, and advanced pixel processing. [6]

The A11 is manufactured by TSMC using a 10 nm FinFET process [1] and contains 4.3 billion transistors [7] on a die 87.66 mm2 in size, 30% smaller than the A10. [12] It is manufactured in a package on package (PoP) together with 2 GB of LPDDR4X memory in the iPhone 8 [2] and 3 GB of LPDDR4X memory in the iPhone 8 Plus [12] and iPhone X. [13] [14]

The A11 has video codec encoding support for HEVC and H.264. It has decoding support for HEVC, H.264, MPEG‑4 Part 2, and Motion JPEG. [15]

Die Block Comparison (mm2) [9]
SoCA11 (10 nm)
Total Die87.66
Big Core2.68
Small Core0.53
CPU Complex (incl. cores)14.48
GPU Core4.43
GPU Total15.28
NPU1.83

Neural Engine

The A11 also includes dedicated neural network hardware that Apple calls a "Neural Engine". This neural network hardware can perform up to 600 billion operations per second and is used for Face ID, Animoji and other machine learning tasks. [10] The neural engine allows Apple to implement neural network and machine learning in a more energy-efficient manner than using either the main CPU or the GPU. [16] [17] However, third-party apps cannot use the Neural Engine, leading to similar neural network performance to older iPhones. [9]

Bloomberg says that the neural engine is the fruit of Apple's efforts to improve its AI team, since the 2015 report by Bloomberg that Apple's secretive nature made it difficult to attract AI research scientists. [17] Apple has since recruited people and multiple companies working on AI, and has published papers related to AI research. [17] In October 2016, Apple hired Russ Salakhutdinov as its director of AI research. [18]

Products that include the Apple A11 Bionic

The Apple A11 Bionic chip is used in the following iPhone models and not on any generation of iPad, iPod touch, or Apple TV.

Apple A11 SoC on iPhone 8 main logic board A11 APL1W72 iPhone8 mlb 820-00872-A.jpg
Apple A11 SoC on iPhone 8 main logic board

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apple silicon</span> System-on-chip processors designed by Apple Inc.

Apple silicon refers to a series of system on a chip (SoC) and system in a package (SiP) processors designed by Apple Inc., mainly using the ARM architecture. They are the basis of Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch, AirPods, AirTag, HomePod, and Apple Vision Pro devices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apple motion coprocessors</span> Series of motion coprocessors by Apple

The Apple M-series coprocessors are motion coprocessors used by Apple Inc. in their mobile devices. First released in 2013, their function is to collect sensor data from integrated accelerometers, gyroscopes and compasses and offload the collecting and processing of sensor data from the main central processing unit (CPU).

This is a comparison of ARM instruction set architecture application processor cores designed by ARM Holdings and 3rd parties. It does not include ARM Cortex-R, ARM Cortex-M, or legacy ARM cores.

The Apple A8 is a 64-bit ARM-based system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc., part of the Apple silicon series, It first appeared in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, which were introduced on September 9, 2014. Apple states that it has 25% more CPU performance and 50% more graphics performance while drawing only 50% of the power of its predecessor, the Apple A7. The latest software updates for the 1.1GHz and 1.4GHz variants systems using this chip are iOS 12.5.7, released on January 23, 2023 as they were discontinued with the release of iOS 13 in 2019, and 1.5 GHz variant for the iPad Mini 4 is iPadOS 15.8.2, released on March 5, 2024 as it was discontinued with the release of iPadOS 16 in 2022, while updates for the 1.5 GHz variant continue for Apple TV HD. The A8 chip was discontinued on October 18, 2022, following the discontinuation of the Apple TV HD.

iPhone 7 Tenth-generation smartphones by Apple Inc.

The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are smartphones that were developed and marketed by Apple Inc. They are the tenth generation of the iPhone. They were announced on September 7, 2016, at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco by Apple CEO Tim Cook, and were released on September 16, 2016, succeeding the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus as the flagship devices in the iPhone series. Apple also released the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in numerous countries worldwide throughout September and October 2016. They were succeeded as flagship devices by the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus on September 12, 2017, and were discontinued with the announcement of the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro on September 10, 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apple A10</span> System on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc.

The Apple A10 Fusion is a 64-bit ARM-based system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc., part of the Apple silicon series, and manufactured by TSMC. It first appeared in the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus which were introduced on September 7, 2016, and is used in the sixth generation iPad, seventh generation iPad, and seventh generation iPod Touch. The A10 is the first Apple-designed quad-core SoC, with two high-performance cores and two energy-efficient cores. Apple states that it has 40% greater CPU performance and 50% greater graphics performance compared to its predecessor, the Apple A9. The Apple T2 chip is based on the A10. On May 10, 2022, the iPod Touch 7th generation was discontinued, ending production of A10 Fusion chips. The latest software updates for the iPhone 7 & 7 Plus including the iPod Touch 7th generation variants systems using this chip are iOS 15.8.3, released on July 29, 2024, as they were discontinued with the release of iOS 16 in 2022, while updates for the iPad variants systems using this chip are still supported.

iPhone 8 Smartphones released by Apple in 2017

The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are smartphones developed and marketed by Apple Inc. They are the eleventh generation of the iPhone. The iPhone 8 was released on September 22, 2017, succeeding the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus respectively.

iPhone X 2017 eleventh-generation smartphone developed by Apple Inc.

The iPhone X is a smartphone that was developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is part of the 11th generation of the iPhone. Available for pre-order from October 27, 2017, it was released on November 3, 2017. The naming of the iPhone X marked the 10th anniversary of the iPhone.

iPhone XS 2018 twelfth-generation high-end smartphone by Apple Inc.

The iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max are smartphones developed and marketed by Apple Inc. They are the twelfth-generation flagships of the iPhone, succeeding the iPhone X. Apple CEO Tim Cook announced the devices alongside a lower-end model, the iPhone XR, on September 12, 2018, at the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park. Pre-orders began on September 14, 2018, and the devices went on sale on September 21. As of June 2024, the iPhone XS is the oldest iPhone model officially capable of running iOS 18, the latest version of iOS.

iPhone XR 2018 12th-generation smartphone by Apple Inc.

The iPhone XR is a smartphone developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is part of the twelfth generation of the iPhone, alongside the higher-end iPhone XS/XS Max models. Pre-orders began on October 19, 2018, with the official release on October 26, 2018. The iPhone XR was the least expensive device in Apple's twelfth generation of iPhones, which also includes the iPhone XS and XS Max, and was therefore considered an "affordable flagship" or "budget flagship" phone at its release.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apple A12</span> System on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc.

The Apple A12 Bionic is a 64-bit ARM-based system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc., part of the Apple silicon series, It first appeared in the iPhone XS and XS Max, iPhone XR, iPad Air, iPad Mini, 8th generation iPad and Apple TV 4K. Apple states that the two high-performance cores are 15% faster and 40% more energy-efficient than the Apple A11's, and the four high-efficiency cores use 50% less power than the A11's. It is the first mass-market system on a chip to be built using the 7 nm process.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apple A12X</span> System on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc.

The Apple A12X Bionic is a 64-bit system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc., part of the Apple silicon series, It first appeared in the iPad Pro, announced on October 30, 2018. The A12X is an 8-core variant of the A12 and Apple states that it has 35 percent faster single-core CPU performance and 90 percent faster overall CPU performance than its predecessor, the Apple A10X. The Apple A12Z Bionic is an updated version of the A12X, adding an additional GPU core, and was unveiled on March 18, 2020, as part of the iPad Pro.

iPad Mini (5th generation) Tablet computer developed by Apple (2019–2021)

The fifth-generation iPad Mini is a tablet computer in the iPad Mini line, developed and marketed by Apple Inc. Announced in a press release along with the third-generation iPad Air on March 18, 2019 and released the same day. Its predecessor, the iPad Mini 4, was discontinued on the same day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apple A13</span> System on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc.

The Apple A13 Bionic is a 64-bit ARM-based system on a chip (SoC), designed by Apple Inc., part of the Apple silicon series. It appears in the iPhone 11, 11 Pro/Pro Max, the 9th generation iPad, the iPhone SE and the Studio Display. Apple states that the two high performance cores are 20% faster with 30% lower power consumption than the Apple A12's, and the four high efficiency cores are 20% faster with 30% lower power consumption than the A12's.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apple A14</span> System on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc.

The Apple A14 Bionic is a 64-bit ARMv8.4-A system on a chip (SoC)designed by Apple Inc., part of the Apple silicon series. It appears in the fourth generation iPad Air and tenth generation iPad, as well as iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max. Apple states that the central processing unit (CPU) performs up to 40% faster than the A12, while the graphics processing unit (GPU) is up to 30% faster than the A12. It also includes a 16-core neural engine and new machine learning matrix accelerators that perform twice and ten times as fast, respectively.

Neural Engine is a series of AI accelerators designed for machine learning by Apple. The first SoC including Neural Engine is Apple A11 Bionic for iPhone 8, 8 Plus and iPhone X introduced in 2017. Since then, all Apple A series SoCs have Neural Engine. In 2020, Apple introduced the Apple M1 for Mac and all Apple M series SoCs have Neural Engine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apple A15</span> System on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc.

The Apple A15 Bionic is a 64-bit ARM-based system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc., part of the Apple silicon series. It is used in the iPhone 13 and 13 Mini, iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max, iPad Mini, iPhone SE, iPhone 14 and 14 Plus and Apple TV 4K.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apple A16</span> System on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc.

The Apple A16 Bionic is a 64-bit ARM-based system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc., part of the Apple silicon series, and manufactured by TSMC. It is used in iPhones 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max, and 15 and 15 Plus.

The Apple A18 and Apple A18 Pro are a pair of 64-bit ARM-based system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc., part of the Apple silicon series. They are used in the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro lineups, and built on a second generation 3 nm process by TSMC. Announced on September 9, 2024, they are the successors to the Apple A16 Bionic and the Apple A17 Pro processors, respectively.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Cutress, Ian (September 12, 2017). "Apple 2017: The iPhone X (Ten) Announced". AnandTech. Archived from the original on September 13, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  2. 1 2 "iPhone 8 Teardown". iFixit. September 21, 2017. Archived from the original on September 22, 2017. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  3. ↑ "iPhone X Benchmarks - Geekbench Browser". Geekbench. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Measured and Estimated Cache Sizes". AnandTech. October 5, 2018. Archived from the original on October 6, 2018. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  5. 1 2 Clover, Julie (September 10, 2017). "iOS 11 GM Leak Reveals Details on Face ID, Apple Pay, Wireless Charging, and A11 Chip in iPhone X". MacRumors . Archived from the original on September 13, 2017. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus: A new generation of iPhone" (Press release). Apple. September 12, 2017. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  7. 1 2 "iPhone 8: A11 Bionic". Apple. September 12, 2017. Archived from the original on November 1, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  8. ↑ "About the security content of iOS 16.7.10 and iPadOS 16.7.10". Apple Support. March 5, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  9. 1 2 3 Frumusanu, Andrei (October 5, 2018). "The iPhone XS & XS Max Review: Unveiling the Silicon Secrets". AnandTech. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  10. 1 2 "The future is here: iPhone X" (Press release). Apple. September 12, 2017. Archived from the original on September 24, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  11. ↑ "iPhone 8 - Technical Specifications". Apple. September 12, 2017. Archived from the original on September 16, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  12. 1 2 Yang, Daniel; Wegner, Stacy; Fontaine, Ray (October 11, 2017). "Apple iPhone 8 Plus Teardown". TechInsights. Archived from the original on May 12, 2019. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  13. ↑ Gartenberg, Chaim (September 26, 2017). "iPhone X confirmed to have 3GB of RAM and 2,716mAh battery". The Verge. Vox Media. Archived from the original on September 27, 2017. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  14. ↑ "iPhone X Teardown". iFixit. November 3, 2017. Archived from the original on November 3, 2017. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  15. ↑ "iPhone 8 - Technical Specifications". support.apple.com. Archived from the original on October 24, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  16. ↑ Hruska, Joel (September 14, 2017). "What to Expect From Apple's Neural Engine in the A11 Bionic SoC". ExtremeTech . Archived from the original on September 17, 2017. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
  17. 1 2 3 Gurman, Mark (May 26, 2017). "Apple Is Working on a Dedicated Chip to Power AI on Devices". Bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on October 24, 2017. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
  18. ↑ Leswing, Kif (October 17, 2016). "Apple's latest hire could signal a big shift in the company's approach to AI". Business Insider . Archived from the original on September 17, 2018. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
Preceded by Apple A11 Bionic
2017		Succeeded by
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