Google could develop its own processor for future versions of its Pixel smartphones, and later versions of the chip could even power Chromebooks, said a media report.
Google’s own chip could power Pixel smartphones as early as next year, according to Axios’ report this week.
The move could be a blow to Qualcomm, which supplies the main processor for Pixel phones.
But it can help Pixel phones compete better with iPhones powered by Apple-designed chips.
The chip, apparently codenamed Whitechapel, is an 8-core ARM processor built using the 5-nanometer process from South Korean tech giant Samsung, according to Axios.
The chip may also have hardware optimized for Google’s machine learning technology and part of the chip could be dedicated to improving the performance of Google Assistant, the report said.
For other functions of its devices, Google already makes its own chips.
Some of its Pixel phones have a security chip called Titan M, for example, while the Pixel 4 has a coprocessor called Pixel Neural Core, The Verge reported.
But the role of the main processor is much more important because it determines the capabilities of the device, including the speed and battery life.
