It's complicated: Google's new Tensor G4 processor quickly overheats in a trotting test and drops nearly half the power

Google's attempts to develop its own processor have once again been criticised due to temperature and performance stability issues. Preliminary tests indicate that the Tensor G4 processor in the Pixel 9 Pro XL is particularly susceptible to these shortcomings.

Here's What We Know

In stress tests conducted by user @callmeshazzam, the chip loses up to 50% of its performance in just a few minutes. The maximum performance of the chip reached 341 GIPS, but it dropped to 145.5 GIPS when overheating, which is only 42.6% of the maximum. The frequencies of the performance cores dropped to 1.32 GHz and the energy efficiency cores dropped to 570 MHz.

Pixel 9 Pro XL ... Better Luck Next Year pic.twitter.com/cgFzM86oie

- Shazzam (@callmeshazzam) August 17, 2024

Despite Google's claims of an improved cooling system using a vapour chamber, the chip is still overheating. These results raise concerns about the Tensor G4's ability to maintain stable performance under prolonged loads. Google has yet to provide official comment on the matter, but the test results indicate that thermal management needs to be further optimised for the new chip.

Source: @callmeshazzam