Samsung Electronics Co. today announced its latest premium application processor (AP), the Exynos 9 Series 9820, equipped for on-device Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications. The chip features an enhanced neural processing unit (NPU) that performs AI-related functions seven times faster than its predecessor, Samsung says.

The all-new processor is based on the 8nm LPP (Low Power Plus) FinFET process and expected to be in mass production by the end of this year, according to the company. This premium SoC is expected to be integrated into the Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+ and Galaxy Note 10 flagships next year.

“As AI-related services increase and their utilization diversify in mobile devices, its processors require higher computational capabilities and efficiency,” said Ben Hur, vice president of System LSI marketing at Samsung Electronics. “The AI capabilities in the Exynos 9 Series 9820 will provide a new dimension of performance in smart devices through an integrated NPU, high-performance fourth-generation custom CPU core, 2.0Gbps LTE modem and improved multimedia performance.”

The thing that hogs all the limelight here is the NPU. It can enable a variety of new experiences such as instantly adjusting camera settings for a shot based on the surroundings or recognizing objects to provide information in augmented or virtual reality (AR or VR) settings.

In terms of improvement over its predecessor, Samsung says that the Exynos 9820’s new fourth-generation custom core delivers around 20% improvement in single-core performance and 40% in power efficiency. The Exynos 9820 can reportedly load data and switch between apps much faster. In addition, multi-core performance is also increased by around 15%.

Apart from that, the LTE-Advanced Pro modem in the Exynos 9820 brings fast mobile broadband speeds of 2.0Gbps downlink. What this means in real-world conditions is a download of an FHD high-definition movie (3.7GB) in about 15 seconds.