Apple A5 Chip Teardown: Made By Samsung, Twice The Size Of A4

A recent teardown of Apple's A5 chip has proved to be very interesting. Apparently, the A5 chip is twice the size of the A4 chip (which powers the iPhone 4 and first generation iPad). Furthermore, the A5 chip is manufactured by Samsung. UBM Techinsights was the website that published the teardown. They noted:

Based on analysis performed by UBM TechInsights Lab and Process Analysis personnel, we can say that the A5 in our possession is definitely manufactured by Samsung using their 45nm process. UBM TechInsights used optical die and SEM cross-section images to analyse important features such as die edge seal, metal 1 pitch, logic and SRAM transistor gate measurements. These features were then compared to other manufacturers in our database, including other Samsung 45nm parts. The previous generation Apple A4 processor was also fabbed on Samsung's 45nm process.

If you're interested in how the two chips compare, UBM Techinsights also posted a comparison chart (below). As you can see, both chips are manufactured by Samsung. However, the A5 chip boasts a dual core, unlike the A4's single processor core. As you might expect, this means the A5 chip is twice the size of the A4.

For more information on the A5 teardown, head over to UBM Techinsights's website. If you have an iPad 2, you'll undoubtedly appreciate the tablet's speed improvements - this is thanks to the new, dual core chip. Let us know your thoughts on the second generation iPad in the comments.

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