Apple’s Ultimate Chip! What’s inside A20 PRO – More powerful, more capable
Apple introduced its all new A20 Pro Silicon during its September 9 event titled “Surprise and Shine”. CEO John Ternus said that A20 Pro is “an exceptional chip that sets a new bar for mobile computing”.
Apple’s new flagship processor has been developed to meet the growing computing requirements of Apple Intelligence and its AI-powered Siri. The chip is built using a new 2nm manufacturing process, allowing Apple to pack more transistors into the design and improve overall performance.
The processor features a six-core CPU comprising two high-performance cores that are up to 20% faster, along with four efficiency cores. It also comes with a seven-core GPU that can deliver up to 40% better graphics performance while improving AI-related workloads.
Apple has introduced new neural accelerators capable of performing 8-bit floating-point calculations twice as fast. The upgrade is designed to support more advanced on-device AI applications, including the use of third-party large language models (LLMs).
The A20 Pro variant takes the AI capabilities further by adding a second Neural Engine, effectively doubling its computing capacity to 32 cores.
Apple has also increased memory bandwidth by 50%, giving the iPhone its widest memory interface to date and allowing data to move more quickly between the processor and memory.
Why 2nm matters
The shift from 3nm to 2nm represents more than simply moving to a smaller process node. TSMC’s N2 process uses a nanosheet transistor architecture designed to improve performance, power efficiency and transistor density. TSMC has said its 2nm technology is aimed at delivering significant performance and power-efficiency gains over the previous generation.
A20 Pro vs A19 Pro: What changes?
The A19 Pro, which debuted with the iPhone 17 Pro, is built on a 3nm process and features a six-core CPU and six-core GPU. Apple also introduced Neural Accelerators as part of its GPU architecture.
The A20 Pro continues Apple’s focus on CPU, GPU and neural processing performance. However, its transition to a 2nm process makes the chip’s underlying architecture more power-efficient.
From A17 Pro to A20 Pro
The A17 Pro introduced Apple’s 3nm chip manufacturing with the iPhone 15 Pro, while the A18 Pro adopted a second-generation 3nm process for the iPhone 16 Pro.
Apple said the A18 Pro featured smaller and faster transistors, along with a faster and more efficient Neural Engine. The A19 Pro continued this 3nm development with the iPhone 17 Pro. The A20 Pro’s transition to a 2nm process therefore marks a more substantial change in chip manufacturing technology.
