Samsung Adds AI-Processing Unit to New Exynos 9820 Chip

Samsung today provided a glimpse of what the Galaxy S10 will offer with the introduction of its new Exynos 9820 chip.

The new silicon is designed to run AI-driven applications through the help of a dedicated "neural processing unit" or NPU on board. This allows the chip to perform AI task about seven times faster than the last-generation Exynos 9810 chip, Samsung said in a press release.

So expect faster processing times when using the company's voice assistant, Bixby. Samsung has been pushing hard to make the technology competitive with Amazon's Alexa and Google Assistant. The goal is to create a whole ecosystem of devices, such as home appliances, that will work over Bixby.

"With the NPU, AI-related processing can be carried out directly on the device rather than sending the task to a server, providing faster performance as well as better security of personal information," Samsung added. The NPU will also power AI tasks over your camera so that it can recognize objects and automatically adjust the photo-shooting settings based on the surrounding light.

The Exynos 9820, which features eight CPUs, also promises to be faster than its predecessor. Samsung isn't saying what the new chip has been clocked at, but it's built with an 8-nanometer manufacturing process, allowing Samsung to pack more transistors on the processor.

As result, the new chip can offer a 15 to 20 percent performance increase over the Exynos 9810. The next-generation silicon can also consume up to 10 percent less power.

But one area where the chip will disappoint is the lack of an integrated 5G modem. The Exynos 9820 chip comes with a still fast LTE modem capable of 2 gigabits per second download speeds, and 316Mbps upload speeds.

In terms of camera performance, Samsung designed the Exynos 9820 to record 8K video at 30 frames per second. The chip can also record 4K video at up to 150fps.

The Exynos 9820 will go into mass production by year's end. However, Samsung has generally used Qualcomm's Snapdragon processors when selling its flagship handset in the US. Reportedly, Qualcomm will make a new announcement about an upcoming Snapdragon processor next month. The company has also designed a 5G modem capable of 5 gigabit-per-second speeds that can paired with its chips.

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