ARM, the semiconductor firm owned by Japan’s Softbank Group, on Tuesday released new technology aimed at helping Android devices catch up to Apple’s iPhones for certain computing tasks such as videogames.
But Apple extensively customises what are called computing “cores” on its chips, while many Android devices hew more closely to designs developed and sold by ARM itself.
This is a bit like the AMG tuning shop for Mercedes engines
Apple’s iPhones, however, are believed to have at least one high-performance core that is larger than others, helping it beat Android competitors’ peak speeds on single-threaded computing tasks.
Paul Williamson, the vice president and GM of the client line of business at ARM, said the company will work with the chip suppliers to high-end Android phones to provide cores that are capable of giving a boost of performance, even if it burns a bit of battery power.
He said ARM will also give game developers tools to take advantage of the new computing power when they make apps for Android devices.
