Apple A16

{{Short description|System on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc.}}

{{Infobox CPU

| name = Apple A16 Bionic

| hide_subheadings =

| image = Apple_A16.jpg

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption =

| produced-start = September 7, 2022

| produced-end =

| soldby = Apple Inc.

| designfirm = Apple Inc.

| manuf1 = TSMC

| cpuid =

| code = APL1W10{{cite web |title=iPhone 14 Pro Max Chip ID |url=https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iPhone+14+Pro+Max+Chip+ID/153224 |website=iFixit |date=September 18, 2022 |access-date=October 18, 2022}}

| slowest = 2.02

| fastest = 3.46

| slow-unit = GHz

| fast-unit = GHz

| fsb-slowest =

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| hypertransport-slowest =

| hypertransport-fastest =

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| qpi-slowest =

| qpi-fastest =

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| dmi-slowest =

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| data-width =

| address-width =

| virtual-width =

| l1cache = 320 KB per P-core (192 KB instruction + 128 KB data)

224 KB per E-core (128 KB instruction + 96 KB data)

| l2cache = 16{{nbsp}}MB (performance cores)
4{{nbsp}}MB (efficient cores)

| l3cache =

| l4cache =

| llcache = 24{{nbsp}}MB

| application = Mobile

| size-from = 4 nm (N4P)

| size-to =

| microarch = {{ubl |Everest |Sawtooth}}

| arch =

| instructions = ARMv8.6-A{{Cite web|url=https://github.com/llvm/llvm-project/blob/main/llvm/unittests/TargetParser/TargetParserTest.cpp|title=llvm-project/llvm/unittests/TargetParser/TargetParserTest.cpp at main · llvm/llvm-project · GitHub|website=GitHub|date=10 September 2024|access-date=10 September 2024}}

| extensions =

| numinstructions =

| transistors = 16 billion

| cores1 = 6 cores:
{{bulleted list|2 performance |4 efficiency}}

| amountmemory = 6{{nbsp}}GB

| gpu = Apple-designed 4- or 5-core GPU @ 1398{{nbsp}}MHz

| co-processor =

| pack1 =

| sock1 =

| core1 =

| pcode1 =

| model1 =

| brand1 =

| variant = Apple S9/S10 SiP (cut-down version that utilizes high efficiency cores from A16), Apple M3

| predecessor = Apple A15 Bionic

| successor = Apple A17 Pro (iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max), Apple A18 (iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus)

| support status =

}}

The Apple A16 Bionic is a 64-bit ARM-based system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc., part of the Apple silicon series, and manufactured by TSMC. It is used in the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max, 15 and 15 Plus and iPad (11th generation).

Design

The Apple A16 Bionic features an Apple-designed 64-bit six-core CPU implementing ARMv8.6-A with two "Everest" {{Cite web |title=The codename of the CPU core of A16 for iPhone14 Pro is revealed-posted by leaker |url=https://iphonewired.com/news/481842/ |website=iPhone Wired |language=en-US |date=12 September 2022 |access-date=September 13, 2022 |archive-date=September 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220913124757/https://iphonewired.com/news/481842/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Buckner |first=Sanjay |date=September 13, 2022 |title=Apple's A16 Bionic Gets New Cores, Now Codenamed After Mountains |url=https://newsrevive.com/apples-a16-bionic-gets-new-cores-now-codenamed-after-mountains/ |website=News Revive |language=en-US |access-date=September 13, 2022 |archive-date=September 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220913080559/https://newsrevive.com/apples-a16-bionic-gets-new-cores-now-codenamed-after-mountains/ |url-status=live}} high-performance cores running at 3.46 GHz,{{Cite web |title=iPhone 14 Pro Max with A16 chipset appears on Geekbench with minimal performance improvement |url=https://www.gsmarena.com/iphone_14_pro_max_with_a16_chipset_appears_on_geekbench_with_minimal_performance_improvement-news-55711.php |access-date=September 11, 2022 |website=GSMArena |language=en-US |archive-date=2022-09-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220910200512/https://www.gsmarena.com/iphone_14_pro_max_with_a16_chipset_appears_on_geekbench_with_minimal_performance_improvement-news-55711.php |url-status=live }} and four "Sawtooth" energy-efficient cores running at 2.02 GHz,{{Cite web |title=AArch64: add support for newer Apple CPUs |url=https://github.com/apple/llvm-project/commit/677da09d0259d7530d32e85cb561bee15f0066e2 |access-date=2022-09-24 |website=github.com |language=en }} in a similar design to the A15 processor on iPhone 14. Apple claims the A16 is about 40% faster than the competition, and it also has new efficiency cores, with their big advantage being they use a third of the power of the best efficiency cores of other phones on the market.

The A16 contains 16 billion transistors, a 6.7% increase from the A15's transistor count of 15 billion. It includes an improved neural processing unit (NPU) with 16 cores known as the "Apple Neural Engine", a new image signal processor (ISP) with improved computational photography capabilities, and a new module for handling screen-related features that Apple calls a "Display Engine".

The A16 has hardware video encoding and decoding support for the HEVC, H.264, and ProRes codec.{{Cite web |title=iPhone 14 Pro - Technical Specifications |url=https://support.apple.com/kb/SP875?locale=en_US |website=Apple Support |language=en-US |access-date=November 5, 2022}}

During the iPhone 14 launch event Apple touted the A16 chip as the first 4 nm processor in a smartphone.{{Cite web |last=Hristov |first=Victor |date=September 17, 2022 |title=A16 Bionic explained: what's new in Apple's Pro-grade mobile chip? |url=https://www.phonearena.com/news/A16-Bionic-explained-whats-new_id142438 |website=Phone Arena |language=en-US |access-date=February 20, 2024 |archive-date=September 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220911055657/https://www.phonearena.com/news/A16-Bionic-explained-whats-new_id142438 |url-status=live}} However, a TechInsights analysis found that the A16 was manufactured by TSMC on their N4P process.{{Cite web |title=Apple APL1W10 A16 Bionic TSMC N4P FinFET Application Processor Digital Floorplan Analysis |url=https://www.techinsights.com/products/dfr-2209-801 |website=TechInsights |access-date=February 14, 2023}} "N4P", as it is called, is a de facto 5 nm fabrication process{{Cite web |last=Cross |first=Jason |date=January 5, 2023 |title=Apple's 3nm iPhone chip advantage (and why it doesn't really matter) |url=https://www.macworld.com/article/1446844/3nm-processor-advantage-qualcomm-mediatek-tsmc.html |website=MacWorld |language=en-US |access-date=February 23, 2023}} that offers enhancements in performance, power and density when compared to previous products in the same 5 nm family: N5, N5P and N4.{{Cite web |title=5nm Technology |url=https://www.tsmc.com/english/dedicatedFoundry/technology/logic/l_5nm |website=TSMC |access-date=September 10, 2022 |archive-date=2022-09-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220908051239/https://www.tsmc.com/english/dedicatedFoundry/technology/logic/l_5nm |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Schor |first=David |date=October 26, 2021 |title=TSMC Extends Its 5nm Family With A New Enhanced-Performance N4P Node |url=https://fuse.wikichip.org/news/6439/tsmc-extends-its-5nm-family-with-a-new-enhanced-performance-n4p-node/ |website=WikiChip Fuse |language=en-US |access-date=September 11, 2022 |archive-date=May 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220529192402/https://fuse.wikichip.org/news/6439/tsmc-extends-its-5nm-family-with-a-new-enhanced-performance-n4p-node/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=N3E Replaces N3; Comes In Many Flavors |url=https://fuse.wikichip.org/news/7048/n3e-replaces-n3-comes-in-many-flavors/ |website=WikiChip Fuse |language=en-US |date=September 4, 2022 |access-date=September 11, 2022 |archive-date=September 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220910151841/https://fuse.wikichip.org/news/7048/n3e-replaces-n3-comes-in-many-flavors/ |url-status=live}}

In September 2024, TSMC started producing A16 chips in the Arizona fab using the same N4P process as the main Taiwan plant.{{cite web |title=Apple orders A16 SoC production from TSMC plant in United States|url=https://www.notebookcheck.net/Apple-orders-A16-SoC-production-from-TSMC-plant-in-United-States.890528.0.html |website=notebookcheck.net |language=en-US |access-date=September 19, 2024}}

GPU and memory

The A16 integrates an Apple-designed five-core GPU, which is reportedly coupled with 50% more memory bandwidth when compared to the A15's GPU.{{Cite web |date=2022-09-07 |title=Apple A16 Bionic: All you need to know about the new chip |url=https://www.trustedreviews.com/news/apple-a16-bionic-release-date-specs-performance-4237384 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220911144355/https://www.trustedreviews.com/news/apple-a16-bionic-release-date-specs-performance-4237384 |archive-date=September 11, 2022 |website=Trusted Reviews |language=en |access-date=September 11, 2022}} One GPU core is disabled in the iPad (11th generation), resulting in a four-core GPU for this model.

The A16's memory has been upgraded to LPDDR5 for 50% higher bandwidth and a 7% faster 16-core Neural Engine, capable of 17 trillion operations per second (TOPS). In comparison, the Neural Engine on the A15 was capable of 15.8 TOPS. All variants of the SoC come with 6 GB of memory. Unlike previous generations of Apple's A-Series chips, the A16 utilises a vertical version of the A12X/M1 packaging instead of traditional PoP DRAM. This system is based on an epoxy glass substrate with DRAM mounted on one side, A16 SoC on the other side, and presumably via's going through the epoxy glass that connect the two. Due to the removal of PoP wires, the A16's energy consumption per DRAM read/write transaction has been slightly reduced.{{Cite web |title=iPhone 14 Proの心臓部、「A16 Bionic」を解析する |url=https://eetimes.itmedia.co.jp/ee/articles/2210/25/news048.html |website=EE Times Japan |language=ja |access-date=February 15, 2023}}

ISP and Display Engine

The new image processor (ISP) found on the A16 chip improved its computational photography capabilities. It was designed to handle the higher resolution image sensor found in the iPhone 14 Pro, being capable of performing up to 4 trillion operations per photo.

The Display Engine is a first on Apple A-series. It enables a better functioning "always on display" feature, and handles other tasks such as the 1 Hz refresh rate, the higher peak brightness of the display and improved anti-aliasing techniques that help smooth out rough edges in the rendering of graphics and images on device displays.

Firmware

New startup and shutdown chimes were added, only being available in accessibility.{{cite web |last=Rossignol |first=Joe |date=September 7, 2022 |title=iPhone 14 Features a Mac-Like Startup Sound While Turning on |url=https://www.macrumors.com/2022/09/07/iphone-14-mac-like-startup-sound/ |website=MacRumours |language=en-US |access-date=February 20, 2024}}