The Apple Vision Pro is one of the toughest pieces of technology to disassemble, but with a ton of perseverance, iFixit managed to get the job done, revealing the logic board housing not just the M2 chipset but also the R1 co-processor, which is responsible for tackling various tasks. The chip ensures that the visionOS experience is a seamless one, but it is possible that Apple pursued a chiplet design with this silicon, at least according to one eagle-eyed individual.
Horizontal and vertical lines around the R1 packaging suggest that Apple used a chiplet design, but not everyone is convinced
The image from iFixit shows both the M2 and R1, with the former showing a typical packaging method. Yining Karl Li was the first to spot this difference and posted his discovery on X, showing the interesting horizontal and vertical lines that make up the packaging, speculating that Apple might have shifted to a chiplet design, which has its advantages. Then again, the same person shares in the post thread how a chiplet design really looks, sharing an image of Intel’s Ponte Vecchio GPU, revealing more prominent horizontal and vertical lines.
However, not everyone is convinced that the R1 employs a chiplet design, with one person commenting that the co-processor is likely sporting low-latency fan-out memory, hence the packaging might appear different than the M2. Still, Yining’s questioning is justified, given how both chipsets appear different in texture too. Due to several benefits, it is difficult not to envision a future where Apple would launch custom SoCs bearing a chiplet design.
From @iFixit's teardown of the Apple Vision Pro headset, there's this interesting shot of the main logic board. The R1 chip (in the red box) has interesting lines all over it dividing the surface into sub-boxes. Is the R1 chip using a chiplet design? pic.twitter.com/wcVisrvL3o
— Yining Karl Li (@yiningkarlli) February 7, 2024
A chiplet approach allows a chip design firm such as Apple to use various nodes to incorporate a CPU, GPU, and NPU on a single die. Most importantly, this design reduces development times and costs by integrating pre-developed dies in an IC package. In short, Apple can have a multitude of modular dies that can be used for different tasks. Based on the image, do you think the Apple Vision Pro’s R1 co-processor is using a chiplet design? Tell us in the comments.
News Source: Yining Karl Li
About the author: Omar Sohail is a reporter and analyst for Wccftech's mobile section, specializing in the technology and business of the mobile industry. His expertise lies in the intricate hardware supply chain, covering developments in semiconductor manufacturing, chip lithography, and camera sensor technology.
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