Apple A9

Last updated
Apple A9
Apple A9 APL0898.jpg
Apple A9 processor
General information
LaunchedSeptember 9, 2015
DiscontinuedSeptember 12, 2018
Designed by Apple Inc.
Common manufacturer(s)
Product codeAPL0898, [1] APL1022 [2]
Performance
Max. CPU clock rate 1.85 GHz (iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone SE, iPad 9.7 2017) [3] [4]  
Cache
L1 cache Per core: 64 KB instruction + 64 KB data
L2 cache3 MB shared [5]
L3 cache4 MB shared [6]
Architecture and classification
ApplicationMobile
Technology node 16 nm (TSMC) to 14 nm (Samsung)
Microarchitecture Twister [7] [8]
Instruction set ARMv8-A: A64, A32, T32
Physical specifications
Cores
GPU(s) Custom PowerVR Series 7XT (six-core) @ 650MHz [9] [10] [11]
Products, models, variants
Variant(s)
History
Predecessor(s) Apple A8
Successor(s) Apple A10 Fusion

The Apple A9 is a 64-bit ARM-based system-on-chip (SoC), designed by Apple Inc. Manufactured for Apple by both TSMC and Samsung, it first appeared in the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus which were introduced on September 9, 2015. [12] Apple states that it has 70% more CPU performance and 90% more graphics performance compared to its predecessor, the Apple A8. [12] On September 12, 2018, the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus along with the first-generation iPhone SE was discontinued, ending production of A9 chips. The latest software updates for the iPhone 6S & 6S Plus including the iPhone SE 1st generation variants systems using this chip are iOS 15.8.2, released on March 5, 2024, as they were discontinued with the release of iOS 16 in 2022, and for the iPad 5th generation using this chip was iPadOS 16.7.6, also released on March 5, 2024, as it was discontinued with the release of iPadOS 17 in 2023.

Contents

Design

The A9 features an Apple-designed 64-bit 1.85 GHz [3] ARMv8-A dual-core [5] CPU called Twister. [8] The A9 in the iPhone 6S has 2 GB of LPDDR4 RAM included in the package. [1] [5] The A9 has a per-core L1 cache of 64 KB for data and 64 KB for instructions, an L2 cache of 3 MB shared by both CPU cores, and a 4 MB L3 cache that services the entire SoC and acts as a victim cache. [6] The A9 also features a custom PowerVR Series7XT @ 650 MHz GPU, featuring 6x custom shader cores and compiler from Apple. [13]

The A9 includes a new image processor, a feature originally introduced in the A5 and last updated in the A7, with better temporal and spatial noise reduction as well as improved local tone mapping. [14] The A9 directly integrates an embedded M9 motion coprocessor, a feature originally introduced with the A7 as a separate chip. In addition to servicing the accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, and barometer, the M9 coprocessor can recognize Siri voice commands. [14]

The A9 has video codec encoding support for H.264. It has decoding support for HEVC, [15] H.264, MPEG‑4, and Motion JPEG. [16]

The A9 features a custom storage solution, which uses an Apple-designed NVMe-based controller that communicates over a PCIe connection. [17] The iPhone 6s' NAND design is more akin to a PC-class SSD than embedded flash memory common on mobile devices. This gives the phone a significant storage performance advantage over competitors which often use eMMC or UFS to connect to their flash memory.

Microarchitecture

The A9's microarchitecture is similar to the second generation Cyclone (used in A8 chip) microarchitecture. Some of the microarchitectural features are as follows:

Pipeline depth (stages)16
Issue width6 micro-ops
ROB 196 micro-ops
Load latency8 cycles
Branch misprediction penalty9
Number of integer pipes4
Number of shifter ALUs4
Load/Store Units2
Integer pipe buffer size48
Number of branch units2
Indirect branch units1
Branch pipe buffer size24
FP ALUs3

About half of the performance boost over A8 comes from the 1.85 GHz frequency. About a quarter comes from the better memory subsystem (3× bigger caches). The remaining quarter comes from the microarchitectural tuning.[ citation needed ]

Encryption

According to Apple, "Every iOS device has a dedicated AES-256 crypto engine built into the DMA path between the flash storage and main system memory, making file encryption highly efficient. On A9 or later A-series processors, the flash storage subsystem is on an isolated bus that is only granted access to memory containing user data via the DMA crypto engine." [18]

Dual sourcing (Chipgate)

Apple A9 chips are fabricated by two companies: Samsung and TSMC. The Samsung version is called APL0898, which is manufactured on a 14 nm FinFET process and is 96 mm2 large, while the TSMC version is called APL1022, which is manufactured on a 16 nm FinFET process and is 104.5 mm2 large.

There was intended to be no significant difference in performance between the parts, [19] but in October 2015, it was alleged that iPhone 6S models with Samsung-fabricated A9 chips consistently measured shorter battery life than those with TSMC-fabricated versions in CPU heavy usage; web browsing and graphics were not very different. [20] Apple responded that "tests which run the processors with a continuous heavy workload until the battery depletes are not representative of real-world usage", and said that internal testing combined with customer data demonstrated a variance of only 2–3%. [21] [22]

Naming

While the Twister CPU core implements the ARMv8-A instruction set architecture licensed from ARM Holdings, it is an independent CPU design and is unrelated to the much older but similarly named Cortex-A9 and ARM9 CPU that are designed by ARM themselves and implement the 32-bit ARMv7-A and ARMv5E versions of the architecture.

The processors are nearly identical visually. The packaging have the same dimensions (approx 15.0×14.5 mm) and only superficial differences, like the designation text. Inside the packaging the silicon die differs in size.

ARKit

The A9 processor is listed as the minimum requirement for ARKit. [23]

Products that include the Apple A9

See also

Related Research Articles

The transistor count is the number of transistors in an electronic device. It is the most common measure of integrated circuit complexity. The rate at which MOS transistor counts have increased generally follows Moore's law, which observes that transistor count doubles approximately every two years. However, being directly proportional to the area of a chip, transistor count does not represent how advanced the corresponding manufacturing technology is: a better indication of this is transistor density.

The "14 nanometer process" refers to a marketing term for the MOSFET technology node that is the successor to the "22 nm" node. The "14 nm" was so named by the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS). Until about 2011, the node following "22 nm" was expected to be "16 nm". All "14 nm" nodes use FinFET technology, a type of multi-gate MOSFET technology that is a non-planar evolution of planar silicon CMOS technology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apple A5</span> System on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc.

The Apple A5 is a 32-bit system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc. and manufactured by Samsung. The first product Apple featured an A5 in was the iPad 2. Apple claimed during their media event on March 2, 2011, that the ARM Cortex-A9 central processing unit (CPU) in the A5 is up to two times faster than the CPU in the Apple A4, and the PowerVR SGX543MP2 graphics processing unit (GPU) in the A5 is up to nine times faster than the GPU in the A4. Apple also claimed that the A5 uses the same amount of power as the A4.

In semiconductor manufacturing, the International Roadmap for Devices and Systems defines the "5 nm" process as the MOSFET technology node following the "7 nm" node. In 2020, Samsung and TSMC entered volume production of "5 nm" chips, manufactured for companies including Apple, Marvell, Huawei and Qualcomm.

In semiconductor manufacturing, the "7 nm" process is a marketing term for the MOSFET technology node following the "10 nm" node, defined by the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors. It is based on FinFET technology, a type of multi-gate MOSFET technology.

<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 A6</span> System on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc.

The Apple A6 is a 32-bit package on package (PoP) system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc. that was introduced on September 12, 2012, at the launch of the iPhone 5. Apple states that it is up to twice as fast and has up to twice the graphics power compared with its predecessor, the Apple A5. Software updates for devices using this chip ceased in 2019, with the release of iOS 10.3.4 on the iPhone 5 as it was discontinued with the release of iOS 11 in 2017.

<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. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apple A8X</span> System on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc.

The Apple A8X is a 64-bit ARM-based system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc. and manufactured by TSMC. It first appeared in the iPad Air 2 and only is used in the iPad Air 2, which was announced on October 16, 2014. It is a variant of the A8 inside the iPhone 6 family of smartphones and Apple states that it has 40% more CPU performance and 2.5 times the graphics performance of its predecessor, the Apple A7. The latest software update for the iPad Air 2 using this chip is iPadOS 15.8.2, released on March 5, 2024, as it was discontinued with the release of iPadOS 16 in 2022 due to hardware limitations of the A8X.

iPhone 6s Ninth-generation smartphone by Apple Inc

The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus are smartphones that were designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. They are the ninth generation of the iPhone. They were announced on September 9, 2015, at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco by Apple CEO Tim Cook, with pre-orders beginning September 12 and official release on September 25, 2015. They were succeeded by the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus on September 7, 2016 and were discontinued with the announcement of the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR on September 12, 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apple A9X</span> System on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc.

The Apple A9X is a 64-bit ARM architecture-based system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc. It first appeared in the iPad Pro, which was announced on September 9, 2015 and was released on November 11, 2015. The A9X has the M9 motion coprocessor embedded in it, something not seen in previous chip generations. It is a variant of the A9 and Apple claims that it has 80% more CPU performance and twice the GPU performance of its predecessor, the A8X.

Qualcomm Kryo is a series of custom or semi-custom ARM-based CPUs included in the Snapdragon line of SoCs.

<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. 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 15.8.2, released on March 5, 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apple A11</span> System on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc.

The Apple A11 Bionic is a 64-bit ARM-based system on a chip (SoC), designed by Apple Inc. and manufactured by TSMC. It first appeared in the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, and iPhone X which were introduced on September 12, 2017. 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. 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 16.7.6, released on March 5, 2024, as they were discontinued with the release of iOS 17 in 2023.

<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. 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. and manufactured by TSMC. It is used in iPhones 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max, and 15 and 15 Plus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Early iPhone systems-on-chip</span> Chips used for the first iPhones

iPhone and iPod Touch models released between 2007 and 2009 used system on a chip (SoC) circuits designed by Samsung and manufactured to Apple's specifications. Two such SoCs were used: the Samsung S5L8900, used in the first-generation iPhone, the iPhone 3G, and the first-generation iPod Touch, and the Samsung S5L8920, used in the iPhone 3GS and the third-generation iPod Touch. Both chips belong to Samsung's S5L family of SoCs.

References

  1. 1 2 "iPhone 6s Teardown". iFixit. September 25, 2015. Archived from the original on January 10, 2016. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
  2. ↑ "A9 is TSMC 16nm FinFET and Samsung Fabbed". Archived from the original on 2016-09-17. Retrieved 2015-09-28.
  3. 1 2 "iPhone 6s customer receives her device early, benchmarks show a marked increase in power". iDownloadBlog. September 21, 2015. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Revealed: iPhone 6S uses 1.85GHz dual-core A9 chip". Trusted Reviews. September 18, 2015. Archived from the original on January 5, 2016. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Inside the iPhone 6s". Chipworks. September 25, 2015. Archived from the original on February 3, 2017. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
  6. 1 2 Smith, Ryan (November 30, 2015). "Correcting Apple's A9 SoC L3 Cache Size: A 4MB Victim Cache". AnandTech . Archived from the original on 1 December 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  7. ↑ Joshua Ho. "iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus Preliminary Results". Archived from the original on 2016-05-26. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
  8. 1 2 Joshua Ho, Ryan Smith. "A9's CPU: Twister - The Apple iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus Review". Archived from the original on 2016-01-18. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
  9. ↑ "iPhone 6S Review". GSM Arena. October 2015. Archived from the original on 2016-01-12. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
  10. ↑ "Apple A9 / PowerVR GT7600". NotebookCheck. September 2015. Archived from the original on 2016-01-21. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
  11. ↑ Kanter, David. "A Look Inside Apple's Custom GPU for the iPhone". Archived from the original on 2019-08-27. Retrieved 2019-08-27.
  12. 1 2 "Apple Introduces iPhone 6s & iPhone 6s Plus" (Press release). Apple. September 9, 2015. Archived from the original on September 11, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  13. ↑ Kanter, David. "A Look Inside Apple's Custom GPU for the iPhone". Archived from the original on 2019-08-27. Retrieved 2019-08-27.
  14. 1 2 "iPhone 6s - Technology". Apple. September 8, 2015. Archived from the original on September 13, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  15. ↑ Thomson, Gavin. "Introducing HEIF and HEVC". Apple. pp. Slide 71 of presentation. Archived from the original on 27 December 2021. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  16. ↑ "iPhone 6s - Technical Specifications". support.apple.com. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
  17. ↑ "The Apple iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus Review". Anandtech. November 2, 2015. Archived from the original on April 8, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  18. ↑ iOS Security, January 2018, https://www.apple.com/business/docs/iOS_Security_Guide.pdf Archived 2016-02-27 at the Wayback Machine
  19. ↑ Smith, Ryan (September 28, 2015). "Apple's A9 SoC Is Dual Sourced From Samsung & TSMC". AnandTech . Archived from the original on 30 September 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  20. ↑ Cunningham, Andrew (12 October 2015). "Samsung vs. TSMC: Comparing the battery life of two Apple A9s". Ars Technica . Condé Nast. Archived from the original on 13 October 2015. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  21. ↑ "Analyzing Apple's Statement on TSMC and Samsung A9 SoCs". AnandTech . Archived from the original on 13 October 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  22. ↑ Barrett, Brian. "It Doesn't Matter Which A9 Chip Your iPhone Has. Get Over It". Wired . Archived from the original on 12 October 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  23. ↑ "Framework - ARKit". Archived from the original on 4 August 2017. Retrieved 4 Aug 2017.
Preceded by Apple A9
2015		Succeeded by
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