When it comes to chipsets on smartphones, most of the time we tend to see Qualcomm’s chipsets being used. There are times when we see other brands in the mix, like MediaTek, Samsung, NVIDIA, and once in a while, Intel. So with Project Ara, which chipset manufacturer could Google be turning to? Well it turns out that Google will be turning to neither of the companies mentioned above. Instead, Google will turn to Toshiba, who will be responsible for manufacturing the semiconductors used for the device.
Toshiba will power Project Ara, so says Japan’s largest business daily. The Japanese electronics company will supply three types of processors that will control, among other things, the flow of data and electrical signals between the modules and the phone, the Nikkei report said. The electronics maker is the only Japanese company to become a “preferred supplier,” according to the report. Sample shipments of the silicon will start this fall, with mass production to begin early next year. The Google phone will have components that fit together like Lego blocks, as seen in a Google video. The phone, which will have between 5 and 10 modules, can be customized based on need. For example, swapping in a second battery if extra battery life is needed or adding a particular kind of camera module.
