As it was with desktops and laptops, so it will be with tablets and smartphones.
After years of single-core processors powering our mobile devices, we’re just now in the process of making the jump to dual-core mobile CPUs. The Motorola XOOM and LG G-Slate Android tablets are each powered by a dual-core Tegra 2 from nVidia, more than a few 2011 smartphones will include dual core CPUs, and many expect Apple’s 2nd Gen iPad and iPhone 5 to have two app cores as well.
But the next transition from dual to quad-core mobile devices may be a short one. nVidia has just announced Project Kal-El, Tegra 2’s quad-core successor slated to power the next generation of smartphones and tablets – and possibly as early this year.
The ‘Kal-El’ SoC boasts a four-core CPU to handle number crunching, and twelve GPU cores to boost graphics performance. According to nVidia, Kal-El can deliver up to five times the general performance of the current Tegra 2, for blazing game speed and video decoding. The quad-core CPU roughly doubles the current Tegra’s processing might, while the dozen GPUs (four more than the Tegra 2) triple graphics power. And nVidia says these benefits come without a substantial increase in battery usage, claiming up to 12 hours of HD video playback under the right conditions.
When the Kal-El ships, it will likely be renamed Tegra 3. nVidia expects the first tablets powered by the new System On a Chip to be available around August, with Tegra 3 smartphones in time for the holidays.
That would be amazing to be sure, but don’t be too disappointed if it’s 2012 before Kal-El crash-lands in a field near you.