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Apple A11
System on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc.

The Apple A11 Bionic is a 64-bit ARM-based system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc., part of the Apple silicon series, and manufactured by TSMC. It was only used in the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, and iPhone X which were introduced on September 12, 2017. Apple states that the two high-performance cores are 25% faster than the Apple A10's and the four high-efficiency cores are up to 70% faster than the two corresponding cores in the A10. The A11 Bionic chip was discontinued on April 15, 2020, following the discontinuation of the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. The latest software update for the iPhone 8 & 8 Plus and iPhone X using this chip was iOS 16.7.10, released on September 3, 2024.

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Design

The A11 features an Apple-designed 64-bit ARMv8-A six-core CPU, with two high-performance cores at 2.39 GHz, called Monsoon, and four energy-efficient cores, called Mistral.789 The Monsoon cores are a 7-wide decode out-of-order superscalar design, while the Mistral cores are a 3-wide decode out-of-order superscalar design. The Mistral cores are based on Apple's Swift cores from the Apple A6.10 The A11 uses a new second-generation performance controller, which permits the A11 to use all six cores simultaneously,11 unlike its predecessor the A10.

The A11 also integrates an Apple-designed three-core graphics processing unit (GPU) with 30% faster graphics performance than the A10.12 Embedded in the A11 is the M11 motion coprocessor.13 The A11 includes a new image processor which supports computational photography functions such as lighting estimation, wide color capture, and advanced pixel processing.14

The A11 is manufactured by TSMC using a 10 nm FinFET process15 and contains 4.3 billion transistors16 on a die 87.66 mm2 in size, 30% smaller than the A10.17 It is manufactured in a package on package (PoP) together with 2 GB of LPDDR4X memory in the iPhone 818 and 3 GB of LPDDR4X memory in the iPhone 8 Plus19 and iPhone X.2021

The A11 has video codec encoding support for HEVC and H.264. It has decoding support for HEVC, H.264, MPEG‑4 Part 2, and Motion JPEG.22

Die Block Comparison (mm2)23
SoCA11 (10 nm)
Total Die87.66
Big Core2.68
Small Core0.53
CPU Complex (incl. cores)14.48
GPU Core4.43
GPU Total15.28
NPU1.83

Neural Engine

The A11 also includes dedicated neural network hardware that Apple calls a "Neural Engine". This neural network hardware can perform up to 600 billion operations per second and is used for Face ID, Animoji and other machine learning tasks.24 The neural engine allows Apple to implement neural network and machine learning in a more energy-efficient manner than using either the main CPU or the GPU.2526 However, third-party apps cannot use the Neural Engine, leading to similar neural network performance to older iPhones.27

Bloomberg says that the neural engine is the fruit of Apple's efforts to improve its AI team, since the 2015 report by Bloomberg that Apple's secretive nature made it difficult to attract AI research scientists.28 Apple has since recruited people and multiple companies working on AI, and has published papers related to AI research.29 In October 2016, Apple hired Russ Salakhutdinov as its director of AI research.30

Products that include the Apple A11 Bionic

The Apple A11 Bionic chip is used in the following iPhone models and not on any generation of iPad, iPod touch, or Apple TV.

See also

  • Apple silicon, the range of ARM-based processors designed by Apple

References

  1. "iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus: A new generation of iPhone" (Press release). Apple. September 12, 2017. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2017/09/iphone-8-and-iphone-8-plus-a-new-generation-of-iphone/ ↩

  2. Cutress, Ian (September 12, 2017). "Apple 2017: The iPhone X (Ten) Announced". AnandTech. Archived from the original on September 13, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017. http://www.anandtech.com/show/11835/apple-2017-the-iphone-x-ten ↩

  3. "iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus: A new generation of iPhone" (Press release). Apple. September 12, 2017. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2017/09/iphone-8-and-iphone-8-plus-a-new-generation-of-iphone/ ↩

  4. "iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus: A new generation of iPhone" (Press release). Apple. September 12, 2017. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2017/09/iphone-8-and-iphone-8-plus-a-new-generation-of-iphone/ ↩

  5. "iPhone 8: A11 Bionic". Apple. September 12, 2017. Archived from the original on November 1, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017. https://www.apple.com/iphone-8/#a11 ↩

  6. "About the security content of iOS 16.7.10 and iPadOS 16.7.10". Apple Support. March 5, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2024. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT214082 ↩

  7. Cutress, Ian (September 12, 2017). "Apple 2017: The iPhone X (Ten) Announced". AnandTech. Archived from the original on September 13, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017. http://www.anandtech.com/show/11835/apple-2017-the-iphone-x-ten ↩

  8. "iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus: A new generation of iPhone" (Press release). Apple. September 12, 2017. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2017/09/iphone-8-and-iphone-8-plus-a-new-generation-of-iphone/ ↩

  9. Clover, Julie (September 10, 2017). "iOS 11 GM Leak Reveals Details on Face ID, Apple Pay, Wireless Charging, and A11 Chip in iPhone X". MacRumors. Archived from the original on September 13, 2017. Retrieved September 13, 2017. https://www.macrumors.com/2017/09/10/ios11-gm-faceid-apple-pay-a11/ ↩

  10. Frumusanu, Andrei (October 5, 2018). "The iPhone XS & XS Max Review: Unveiling the Silicon Secrets". AnandTech. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2019. https://www.anandtech.com/show/13392/the-iphone-xs-xs-max-review-unveiling-the-silicon-secrets ↩

  11. "The future is here: iPhone X" (Press release). Apple. September 12, 2017. Archived from the original on September 24, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2017/09/the-future-is-here-iphone-x/ ↩

  12. "iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus: A new generation of iPhone" (Press release). Apple. September 12, 2017. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2017/09/iphone-8-and-iphone-8-plus-a-new-generation-of-iphone/ ↩

  13. "iPhone 8 - Technical Specifications". Apple. September 12, 2017. Archived from the original on September 16, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017. https://www.apple.com/iphone-8/specs/ ↩

  14. "iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus: A new generation of iPhone" (Press release). Apple. September 12, 2017. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2017/09/iphone-8-and-iphone-8-plus-a-new-generation-of-iphone/ ↩

  15. Cutress, Ian (September 12, 2017). "Apple 2017: The iPhone X (Ten) Announced". AnandTech. Archived from the original on September 13, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017. http://www.anandtech.com/show/11835/apple-2017-the-iphone-x-ten ↩

  16. "iPhone 8: A11 Bionic". Apple. September 12, 2017. Archived from the original on November 1, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017. https://www.apple.com/iphone-8/#a11 ↩

  17. Yang, Daniel; Wegner, Stacy; Fontaine, Ray (October 11, 2017). "Apple iPhone 8 Plus Teardown". TechInsights. Archived from the original on May 12, 2019. Retrieved October 12, 2017. https://www.techinsights.com/blog/apple-iphone-8-plus-teardown ↩

  18. "iPhone 8 Teardown". iFixit. September 21, 2017. Archived from the original on September 22, 2017. Retrieved September 22, 2017. https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPhone+8+Teardown/97481 ↩

  19. Yang, Daniel; Wegner, Stacy; Fontaine, Ray (October 11, 2017). "Apple iPhone 8 Plus Teardown". TechInsights. Archived from the original on May 12, 2019. Retrieved October 12, 2017. https://www.techinsights.com/blog/apple-iphone-8-plus-teardown ↩

  20. Gartenberg, Chaim (September 26, 2017). "iPhone X confirmed to have 3GB of RAM and 2,716mAh battery". The Verge. Vox Media. Archived from the original on September 27, 2017. Retrieved September 27, 2017. https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2017/9/26/16368814/iphone-x-3gb-of-ram-2716mah-battery-specs-apple ↩

  21. "iPhone X Teardown". iFixit. November 3, 2017. Archived from the original on November 3, 2017. Retrieved November 3, 2017. https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPhone+X+Teardown/98975 ↩

  22. "iPhone 8 - Technical Specifications". support.apple.com. Archived from the original on October 24, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2021. https://support.apple.com/kb/SP767?locale=en_US ↩

  23. Frumusanu, Andrei (October 5, 2018). "The iPhone XS & XS Max Review: Unveiling the Silicon Secrets". AnandTech. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2019. https://www.anandtech.com/show/13392/the-iphone-xs-xs-max-review-unveiling-the-silicon-secrets ↩

  24. "The future is here: iPhone X" (Press release). Apple. September 12, 2017. Archived from the original on September 24, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2017/09/the-future-is-here-iphone-x/ ↩

  25. Hruska, Joel (September 14, 2017). "What to Expect From Apple's Neural Engine in the A11 Bionic SoC". ExtremeTech. Archived from the original on September 17, 2017. Retrieved September 16, 2017. https://www.extremetech.com/mobile/255780-apple-neural-engine-a11-bionic-soc ↩

  26. Gurman, Mark (May 26, 2017). "Apple Is Working on a Dedicated Chip to Power AI on Devices". Bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on October 24, 2017. Retrieved September 16, 2017. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-26/apple-said-to-plan-dedicated-chip-to-power-ai-on-devices ↩

  27. Frumusanu, Andrei (October 5, 2018). "The iPhone XS & XS Max Review: Unveiling the Silicon Secrets". AnandTech. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2019. https://www.anandtech.com/show/13392/the-iphone-xs-xs-max-review-unveiling-the-silicon-secrets ↩

  28. Gurman, Mark (May 26, 2017). "Apple Is Working on a Dedicated Chip to Power AI on Devices". Bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on October 24, 2017. Retrieved September 16, 2017. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-26/apple-said-to-plan-dedicated-chip-to-power-ai-on-devices ↩

  29. Gurman, Mark (May 26, 2017). "Apple Is Working on a Dedicated Chip to Power AI on Devices". Bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on October 24, 2017. Retrieved September 16, 2017. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-26/apple-said-to-plan-dedicated-chip-to-power-ai-on-devices ↩

  30. Leswing, Kif (October 17, 2016). "Apple's latest hire could signal a big shift in the company's approach to AI". Business Insider. Archived from the original on September 17, 2018. Retrieved October 12, 2017. http://www.businessinsider.in/Apples-latest-hire-could-signal-a-big-shift-in-the-companys-approach-to-AI/articleshow/54904134.cms ↩