What does ‘nm’ mean in Processors

Apple showed off the A14 Bionic mobile processors with the launch of the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12 Pro and the iPhone 12 Pro Max. It was the first smartphone chipset to be built on a 5nm fabrication process. Soon after, chipset manufacturers including Qualcomm, Huawei may release their 5nm mobile System on Chip (SoC). But what does ‘nm’ mean in CPUs and does reducing the size of the processor really change anything? Also Read- These five cool features make your smartphone even more smart

what is nm in processor

What is nm in CPU

nm means nanometers. It is the channel width of the gate of the transistors. That generally refers to the fabrication process rather than the processor itself. A lower number means we can pack the chip more densely, which generally gives a performance boost. A smaller chip with more transistors will generally be more capable than a larger chip with fewer transistors. Tips to buy best camera phone

Benefits of smaller mobile processor

-More transistors packed into the same space. Providing more memory in the same amount of space, etc. Reduces cost since the yield of integrated circuits (IC) - i.e., number of good products vs. number of bad products - during manufacturing is directly proportional to the size of the IC, so smaller chips yield better. Read Also- MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and Mac Mini launched with Apple M1 processor, know price and features

-Lower power in general. Smaller transistors use less power to implement the logic functions. Improves overall battery life (in the smartphones) and allows for more calls, more data, etc.

-Faster transistors. The smaller distance of the gate means that the switching performance of the gate is improved, so the logic speed is improved, etc. Makes for faster processors, faster applications, etc. Read Also- Find your lost smartphone by IMEI