New ARM processors will be able to contend with the Core i5

According to ARM's own tests, the Cortex-A76 processor already roughly corresponds in performance to the overclocked Core i5-7300U processor, dissipating at the same time less than 5 W (TDP), compared to 15 W for the Intel chip



ARM processors are traditionally used in smartphones and tablets, but recently PC makers like Asus and HP have decided that the performance and low power consumption of these “stones” are quite suitable for laptops. Looking at this state of affairs, ARM itself announced processor architectures specifically designed to compete with Intel and AMD on laptops and desktops in the years 2019-2020. According to ARM, the new chips may well compare and even surpass Intel processors in single-threaded performance.



ARM announced two new microarchitectures:

• Deimos, 7 nm, 2019
• Hercules, 7 and 5 nm, 2020 year

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All these processors will use the new technology DynamiQ , which will replace big.LITTLE.



It is difficult to say in advance how real systems on ARM can compare in performance with conventional x86 machines. Everyone understands that most software is written and optimized for x86, and under ARM it will work through emulation, which immediately gives x86 a head start in performance. For example, you can look at the real benchmarks PCMark 8 Work 3.0 conventional processors in comparison with ARM. Benchmarks were conducted in the native resolution of each tablet / laptop.







As you can see, the powerful modern ARM processor Snapdragon 835 (manufacturer: Qualcomm) loses much of its performance even on the Celeron N3450. The loss is due to two reasons: in addition to the mentioned mode of forced emulation, it is also a smaller number of cores in ARM processors as compared with members of the Core family.



But ARM is going to eliminate this offensive misunderstanding in future processor architectures, where chips will be manufactured according to technical processes of 7 and 5 nm. By 2019–2020, the company intends to overtake and outperform the existing Core i5-4300U, Core i5-6300U and Core i5-7300U processors, and the development trajectory of the ARM processors will surpass Moore’s law. According to the company, before the release of the Cortex-A76 in recent years, ARM already produces an average annual increase in processor performance by about 20%, and after the Cortex-A76 the annual increase will increase. So, from 2016 to 2020, the performance of its chips will grow 2.5 times, that is, the processors on the architecture of Hercules will be 2.5 times faster than the Cortex-A73. The lion's share in this performance jump is explained by the transition from the 16 nm process technology to 5 nm, but partially by system improvements, because in comparison with the rest of the processor industry, ARM demonstrates (or promises to demonstrate) much more progress.







But the difference is gradually leveled. According to ARM's own benchmarks, the Cortex-A76 processor already roughly corresponds in performance to the Core i5-7300U processor, dissipating at the same time less than 5 W (TDP), compared to 15 W for the Intel chip.



Losing in performance, laptops like the Asus NovaGo are already winning in power consumption, that is, in operating time without recharging. Probably, this advantage will remain in the future, when the power of ARM processors will increase dramatically.



Probably, ARM expects that the processors on its architecture will become as popular in laptops as they are now popular in smartphones and tablets. This is a very focused and logical expansion. Like tablets, laptops are also predominantly operated in the “mobile” mode, that is, without directly connecting to the mains, and in this mode, laptops on ARM can work for several days. In addition, the leading manufacturer of ARM processors is Qualcomm. In all likelihood, it will also become the largest manufacturer of 5G modems. This gives an additional advantage to ARM laptops, which in the future are expected to be used in the mode of permanent connection to the 5G network.