Samsung starts production of new 10-nm Exynos 9 Series chip

Samsung unveiled Thursday a new octa-core application processor that combines a custom CPU with a gigabit LTE modem and a separate processing unit for security applications, leading to speculation that it could be designed into the new flagship Galaxy S8 smartphone that the company is expected to launch soon. The Exynos 9 Series 8895 is already in mass production and Samsung expects the chip to be designed into smartphones, VR headsets, and automotive infotainment systems. The new processor chipset is the first from Samsung to use the 10-nanometer FinFET process technology that delivers up to 27 percent higher performance while consuming 40 percent less power when compared to earlier 14-nm technology, the company said. The octa-core processor combines four second-generation custom designed main CPU cores from Samsung with four ARM Cortex-A53 cores. It uses Samsung Coherent Interconnect (SCI) technology for cache coherency to deliver a heterogeneous system architecture that enables faster calculations for applications such as artificial intelligence and deep learning, Samsung said.