The term SOC can refer to the Security Operations Center, but when we talk about a SoC (note the lowercase o) in hardware, we are referring to the term ” System on a Chip “. In this article we are going to explain what a SoC is, what characteristics define it and what types of SoC there are.
As technology advances and everything tends to miniaturize hardware to improve its efficiency, we are forced to coin new terminology, and even more so when we talk about technology. For this reason, a term such as SoC has been used in the industry for several years, and although many people use it even on a daily basis, not many people really know what it means.
What is a SoC (System-on-a-Chip)?
SoC is an acronym that comes from the English “System on a Chip”, which literally means “system on a chip”. Its origin dates back to the rise of companies such as Nokia, when the development of the first mobile phones began and it was necessary for them to be as small and autonomous as possible. Therefore, and continuing with the idea of miniaturizing everything in mind, the trend was to implement a chip that had as many integrated functions as possible.
We all know what a chip is, but now the question is what is considered a system? At first glance, a SoC looks like a normal chip, but what differentiates a SoC from a normal and ordinary chip will be found under the hood, where a large number of different components converge, which are what make up its name, each with a function but with a combined functionality.
In other words, we could have the definition of SoC as a “chip made up of multiple components that together make up a complete system”.
SoC Features and Functions
To explain the characteristics of these elements, we will take Qualcomm’s SnapDragon 801 SoC as an example, the diagram of which you can see below:
As you can see from the diagram, we find quite a few internal components like the processor (CPU) itself, the memory controller, the memory, the GPU, the DSP, the connectivity module that serves technologies like USB , LTE, WiFi or Bluetooth, the GPS module, the screen module, the camera module and finally the multimedia. All this that you see there in the diagram, in reality translates into a chip not much bigger than a coin.
Of course, the internal characteristics and components may be different from one model to another, since a SoC oriented to power a mobile terminal is not the same as one that is designed for a router, the former being much more complete and complicated than the seconds, since the purpose is quite different. In case you were wondering, a SoC is not merely the “processor” of a smartphone, it also powers portable consoles, routers, smartwatches and a wide range of technological products.
Advantages and disadvantages
Every new technology is developed to improve what already exists, but there are times when a new type of product solves existing problems but generates new ones. Thus, these small System on a Chip greatly improved what existed at the time, but then generate the following problems:
- In case of failure of any of its internal components, the entire system is unusable.
- The increased density of components causes an increase in the heat generated, which may affect its performance.
As advantages, obviously we have the miniaturization of the element, since its small size allows it to be used on mobile devices, among others. Likewise, its next advantage also happens for mobile devices, since it is efficiency, which contributes to reducing its battery consumption and thereby increasing autonomy.