Samsung partners with Arm to develop next-gen Cortex-X CPU cores

With Qualcomm slated to use its in-house Oryon CPU cores for the late 2024-bound Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, Arm's upcoming Cortex-X5 will likely make its debut alongside the MediaTek Dimensity 9400 or Exynos 2500. The upcoming CPU core codenamed Blackhawk is slated to bring forth impressive generation-over-generation performance. Samsung has now announced it is working with Arm to develop the "next generation" of Cortex-X CPU cores.

In a blog post, Samsung confirms both companies are working on a "groundbreaking AI chiplet solution" for generative AI use cases. It will leverage Samsung's 2 nm GAAFET SF2 node that brings forth "additional performance and efficiency improvements" in Arm's CPU. Unfortunately, the material doesn't mention if the Cortex-X CPU core in question is the Cortex-X5 or Cortex-X6. The chances of it being the latter are higher as SF2 is scheduled to enter mass production in 2025. This development is particularly interesting because Arm announced it would manufacture reference chips on Intel's 18A node at the same time.

Meanwhile, Arm's upcoming Cortex-X5 still needs to overcome a few hurdles before it debuts later this year. Noted X leaker Tech_Reve states that the Cortex-X5 is afflicted with power draw issues at higher frequencies. OEMs may have to keep clocks in check or run the risk of thermal throttling, a spectre that has plagued last-gen Exynos SoCs and even the Dimensity 9300 to a certain degree.

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