One of the most important decisions Apple ever made was adopting Intel processors, and looking at the popularity of its computers in recent years, there was no mistake there. However, times have changed, and in the search for greater efficiency in its laptops, the Cupertino giant is reportedly exploring other options, including a new ARM chip designed to handle secondary operations.
The x86 vs. ARM divide
The processor market has a well-defined frontier separating two territories: ARM in mobile devices, and x86 on laptops and desktops. On more than one occasion, these technologies have tried to cross that line, but despite some isolated products, they haven't done very well. Everyone knows that ARM is strong in areas like efficiency and power consumption, while x86 carries performance and compatibility on its side. Now... Intel seems to have hit its ceiling. The latest architectures are undoubtedly more efficient, but their performance gains are negligible. How can you evolve in such a situation? According to people at Bloomberg, Apple has a plan: Use the best of both worlds.
The T310 Coprocessor
Sources indicate Apple is working on a new ARM coprocessor, dubbed T310. While there are no technical details about its silicon, the data suggests the chip would be in charge of Power Nap in the macOS operating system. For those hearing this for the first time, Power Nap enables certain special actions when a Mac is asleep, such as receiving mail, syncing data, downloading updates for the operating system, backing up with Time Machine, and updating Find My Mac, among other things. This is not the first time Apple has added ARM technology to its laptops. The latest MacBook Pro models with the famous Touch Bar use the T1 chip as a controller, but the difference is that the T310 would be much more integrated, with access to RAM, storage, and network devices.
The Road Ahead
The original article indicates that Apple has no intention of abandoning Intel in the short term, but no one in the specialized media dares to deny a future declaration of independence. The A-series chips in iOS devices have reached very respectable performance levels, and it's not far-fetched to imagine a MacBook with an exclusive ARM heart. In short: The T310 is shaping up for a hybrid strategy, a kind of big.LITTLE with x86 cores doing the heavy lifting, and ARM cores handling the background at low-power stages. The big question is: Why didn't they ask Intel for this? The "Core m" series (which Apple uses in its Retina MacBooks) has a maximum TDP of 4.5 watts, and could take on that secondary role without too many problems. All arrows point to the next WWDC, or a possible event in September-October.
Bloomberg
