Exclusive: How Google built the Pixel 10’s Tensor G5 without Samsung’s help

Exclusive: How Google built the Pixel 10’s Tensor G5 without Samsung’s help

Google Tensor chip logo phone in hand

Credit: Robert Triggs / Android Authority
  • Google picked a mix of in-house designed and off-the-shelf IP for the upcoming Tensor G5.
  • Many parts of the chip are built by other companies, including Arm, Imagination Technologies, VeriSillicon, and Synopsys.
  • Google dropped its custom “BigWave” AV1 video codec in favor of an off-the-shelf solution.

It is no secret that the upcoming Google Tensor G5 inside the Pixel 10 series will be special — unlike all the current chips in the series, it will be built without Samsung’s help. We know that the chip will be built using TSMC’s 3nm-class process node and have had a good look at its core specs, but not much more than that. Building an entire SoC from scratch is a monumental task, which raises a question: how did Google, a relatively new company in the chip business, do it?

Thanks to a source inside Google, Android Authority has learned previously unknown Tensor G5 specs, giving us a unique insight into how it was created.