The Kryo CPU will be built using 14nm FinFET technology; Qualcomm has additionally introduced the Symphony System Manager.
Qualcomm has recently stated details on its Kryo CPU, that will be introduced in its upcoming Snapdragon 820 SoC. The Kryo is Qualcomm’s first custom-designed 64-bit quad-core CPU, and is part of a comprehensive redesign of its premium-tier processor.
The Kryo CPU is manufactured using the latest 14nm FinFET technology, and can reach speeds of up to 2.2GHz. According to Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 820 with the Kryo CPU will have two times better performance and power efficiency over the Snapdragon 810.
The Snapdragon 820’s custom cores are designed for heterogeneous computing. This means the SoC will be combining its three different functional cores — the Kryo CPU, Adreno GPU and the Hexagon 680 DSP, rather than using same cores for different tasks. This means the SoC will be able to intelligently direct a small task to be handled the DSP core in place of the CPU core. This theoretically should increase the output time and the battery efficiency.
In addition, the new Adreno 530 GPU is the successor to the Adreno 430 found in the Snapdragon 810. The new GPU promises to deliver 40% faster performance as compared to its predecessor, and Qualcomm claims it also uses 40% less power. Further, the Hexagon 680 DSP would form a major part of the 820 SoC and as mentioned earlier, would help ease the load on the main cores by taking up smaller tasks. During the announcement of the Adreno 530, they also introduced their new image signal processor called the Spectra. Qualcomm says that the Spectra ISP will be able to compute data from three cameras simultaneously. It will also support cameras of upto 25MP at 30fps.
Alongside the Kryo, Qualcomm also introduced the Symphony System Manager. This helps to share tasks between the CPU, GPU, and the DSP along with specialized components like the Spectra ISP. By running the right task on the right processor, or by combining the right processors, it will ensure the SoC delivers optimal performance and power saving. Symphony is designed to manage the entire SoC in different combinations so that it can find the most effective and efficient combination of the processors as well as specialised cores.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC will also come with Smart Protect Technology. This will help reduce malware attacks by offering real-time malware protection. It does this by matching the signature files of downloaded apps with a static database of known malware apps. However, to protect the device from future malware, it uses Qualcomm Zeroth machine learning technology. This is a cognitive computing platform that helps the SoC to provide real-time protection through advanced machine learning-based behavioral analysis.
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