Google launched its Pixel 9 series of smartphones with its latest custom Tensor G4 chipset. The company is already working on its next-gen Tensor G5 and Tensor G6 processors. The former will power the upcoming Pixel 10 flagship, while the latter will be utilized in the Pixel 11. Ahead of an official announcement, the Google Tensor G6 processor’s codename has been leaked. The Tensor G5’s codename was already leaked earlier.
This will be the codename of the Google Tensor G6 chipset
According to Android insider Mishaal Rahman, Malibu will be the codename for the Google Tensor G6 chipset. The tipster found the codename inside a new AOSP (Android Open Source Project) patch. The same patch has revealed the codename of the Google Tensor G5 processor as Laguna as well. There’s not a lot of information, but the codename for the Tensor G5 SoC was leaked earlier as well.
Google collaborated with Samsung Foundry to manufacture its earlier Tensor chipsets. However, the company has partnered with Taiwan’s TSMC to build its next-gen Tensor G5 and Tensor G6 chipsets. The reports earlier suggested that TSMC’s foundries are ready to mass produce at least the Tensor G5 chipset.
TSMC is going to manufacture the upcoming Google processors
The Tensor G5 will be built on TSMC’s second-gen 3nm process node or N3E. However, the company will switch to its next-gen newer 2nm fabrication process to manufacture the Google Tensor G6 processor.
Google switching to TSMC to build the next-gen Tensors is Samsung’s loss. If the reports are to be believed, Samsung Foundry’s manufacturing process was inferior. The problem manifested itself in creating throttling and heating issues in the Samsung-made chips in recent years. These include the first couple of Tensor SoCs and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.
By switching to TSMC, Google’s Tensor chips will offer better performance and fewer heating problems in theory. Notably a Business Korea report last month also suggested that TSMC is going to be responsible for manufacturing the next-gen Tensor processors.