Qualcomm rumoured to be working on a deca-core processor

Qualcomm could soon be producing ten-core mobile processors capable of desktop-level performance.

Rumours abound that Qualcomm is working hard on a deca-core processor, thought to be the Snapdragon 818, which could ostensibly offer a huge leap forward in terms of performance, with desktop-level processing potentially on the table.

MediaTek recently unveiled its X20, the world’s first deca-core mobile SoC, and now there are reports that Qualcomm is looking to put the recent Snapdragon 810 debacle behind it by taking strides forward to match the Taiwanese chip-peddler.

STJS Gadgets received a tip-off from a Qualcomm insider, which claims that Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 818 will sport not eight, but ten cores. The SoC will, if the gossip proves to be true, feature two high-power cores, two mid-power cores and four low-power cores, to deliver a mix of performance and extended battery life.

The high-power cores will be based on the Cortex-A72, clocked to 2.0GHz, while the mid-power and low-power cores will be based on the Cortex-A53 and are rumoured to run at speeds of 1.6 and 1.2GHz respectively, and the chip is expected to be made using the Qualcomm’s 20nm CPU architecture.

The performance of such a chip could potentially rival low and mid-level desktops, offering mobile users a rich new world of power with which to run new games and more labour intensive apps.

Here’s hoping that Qualcomm gets things right with the Snapdragon 818 and we don’t end up with another chip which can be best described as “muy caliente”.

We’ll keep our ears to the ground for more on Qualcomm’s new chips, but in the meantime we’d consign this rumour to the ‘plausible’ pile.