MediaTek Dimensity 9400 to Feature Arm Blackhawk

The Armv9 architecture, first introduced in 2021 and updated to Armv9.2 in 2023, has been widely adopted in various SoC chips, featuring the Cortex-X4, Cortex-A720, and Cortex-A520 CPU core IPs. These advancements have received significant market recognition. Recent leaks indicate that a new iteration of this architecture, boasting substantial improvements in performance and energy efficiency, is poised to further enhance mobile chip capabilities.

A report from May 17 reveals that MediaTek is deeply involved in the architectural design of Armv9's next-generation IP, codenamed "Blackhawk." The upcoming Dimensity 9400 chip is expected to incorporate this architecture, aiming to lead the mobile SoC CPU performance with its "all-big-core" design.

International surveys show that the recent performance boost in Apple's M4 chip is largely due to the new Armv9 architecture. This architecture supports the Scalable Matrix Extension (SME) instruction set, which excels in handling complex tasks and parallel processing, resulting in higher efficiency and lower power consumption. The M4 chip has achieved record-breaking scores in Geekbench 6.

Currently, MediaTek's Dimensity 9300 and 9300+ series chips utilize the Cortex-X4 CPU super cores. The next-generation Dimensity 9400 chip will not only upgrade to TSMC's 3nm process but also integrate the Cortex-X5 "Blackhawk" super core, with an enhanced CPU cache, and is expected to launch in Q4 2024.

Additionally, reports indicate that Qualcomm is redesigning its next-generation flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen4 chip to compete with Apple's A18 chip, increasing the maximum clock speed to 4.26GHz. The Snapdragon 8 Gen4, potentially utilizing Qualcomm's in-house "Nuvia" cores, is expected to launch later this year. However, it will not support the latest Armv9 architecture or the SME instruction set.

As flagship smartphone SoCs transition to 3nm processes, manufacturers are focusing on architectural advancements to sustain performance upgrades, ultimately benefiting consumers with enhanced device experiences.