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After many years of the same handful of companies

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making the processors in our computers and phones, we're finally seeing some major changes

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in rapid succession. Amazon rolled out servers based on their own

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Graviton processors. Apple, of course, announced their groundbreaking

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Apple Silicon for Macs and iDevices designed entirely in-house.

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And now Google has entered the fray with its new Tensor processors.

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And although it looks like they'll be manufactured by Samsung, Google actually had a major role

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in designing the chip. They had their fingers in there.

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But unlike Google's Tensor Processing Unit, which is an AI-focused card designed for servers,

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Tensor is a mobile-focused system on a chip, or SOC,

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meaning it combines a CPU and other computing elements, such as RAM, a modem, and audio processing,

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together for better efficiency. Chips like these are the mainstays in modern smartphones,

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but only a few companies design their own. Apple, with their A-Series, is one example,

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while the majority of Android-powered gadgets use off-the-shelf SOCs from MediaTek or Qualcomm,

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with Samsung's in-house Exynos chips being a notable exception.

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Even Google's own Pixel lineup has used Qualcomm chips until now,

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but the end is near. And going forward, they'll be featuring Tensor chips.

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But what is a Tensor chip and why exactly is Google moving chip design in-house

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when it might be easier just to outsource it? Well, when there's an app for that

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it was a popular catchphrase 10 years ago.

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Oh no. I don't think most of the people using it anticipated

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how much we would come to expect from our phones. Everything from DSLR look-alike photos

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to high-fidelity gaming to instant AR-powered translation.

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Is this the future? But expect all of these things we do.

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And as the software that enables these features becomes more and more complex,

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some of the familiar hardware inside our phones hasn't kept up.

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So instead of using more general-purpose processors from an outside company, Google developed Tensor

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so the hardware in its Pixel devices would be a perfect fit for Android, in their words.

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Which, of course, Google also develops. Now, although we don't have tons of Tensor specifications

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to throw at you right now, it's pretty clear that much of Tensor's silicon

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is going to be dedicated towards image processing, which isn't too surprising considering the Pixel lineup

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has long featured strong camera performance as a selling point.

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And because modern phones rely heavily on AI to make its images look good,

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especially important because the sensors inside mobile cameras aren't all that large.

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One of Google's primary focuses for Tensor is for it to deliver speedy performance

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with AI-intensive tasks, such as improving grainy or blurry nighttime photos.

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The enhanced AI capabilities of Tensor can take images from the multiple lenses on Pixel

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and run several different AI algorithms at once

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to improve picture quality and sharpness, even in tough situations, including fast motion.

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Or when there's so much light, the picture is in danger of being blown out.

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I was born in the light. The emphasis on AI should also help with voice input.

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This means your phone should be able to better tell the difference between which word is a command

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versus which word is a part of your message, provide better auto-generated captions

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if you're watching a video in a foreign language, and deliver better experiences with apps

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that use any form of AI, such as those that detect objects.

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This also means that smartphones with a Tensor chip won't have to rely as much on cloud AI processing,

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freeing up bandwidth, and possibly allowing some apps to function without needing a strong connection to the cloud.

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Because you don't need Google to see everything you're doing. But how long will you need to wait to get your hands on it?

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Well, Google doesn't wanna just sit on this thing forever, especially as it's already behind Apple

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in terms of vertically integrating SOCs into its own phones.

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And the Pixel 6, which will be the first device to feature the Tensor chip,

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should be available in fall 2021. Google has left open the possibility

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it'll show up in other devices at some point, but let's see how well their Tensor-based phones

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take off first. If they do well, maybe we'll see Google's stores

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popping up at malls, where everything is painted white.

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Thanks for watching, guys. Like or dislike the video, whatever you wanna do.

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Check out our other videos, and comment below with video suggestions.

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And don't forget to subscribe and follow. Or else you won't get any Tensor chips anywhere.