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Ask HN: How did Apple manage to create such a better chip than Intel?
The recent Apple M1 chip is faster and more efficient than the equivalent intel chips. Can someone with a better understanding of chip design explain to me:
1/ What specific design choices make the M1 so much better than the equivalent intel chips ? It looks like there are a bunch of changes -- 5nm silicon, single memory pool, a combination of high efficiency and high power cores. Can someone explain to me how each of these changes helps apple achieve the gains it did ? Are these breakthrough architectural changes in chip design or have these been discussed before?
2/ How did apple manage to create this when intel has been making chips for decades and that is the singular focus of the company ? Is it the fact that Mac OS could be better optimized for the M1 chips ? Given the design changes that doesn't seem like the only reason.