Rumor: 2018 iPad Pros will feature octa-core processors

Chinese website MyDrivers — as noted by MacRumors — says Apple’s 2018 iPad Pros will feature octa-core processors. That prediction is based on Taiwanese supplier TSMC’s improved 7nm manufacturing process.

The report claims the eight cores in the “A11X Bionic chip” will include three high-performance “Monsoon” cores and five energy-efficient “Mistral” cores.

Like the A11 Bionic chip in the latest iPhone models, which is built on a 10-nanometer process, the A11X chip will reportedly feature TSMC’s integrated fan-out wafer level packaging, or InFO WLP for short. The chip will also presumably include a next-generation M11 coprocessor and neural engine for artificial intelligence tasks, notes MacRumors.

Chance the rumor is true, according to the Sellers Research Group: 60%. I expect an A11 Bionic chip to pack two high-performance CPU cores and four high-efficiency cores with all six cores able to be used independently. The A10 Fusion has two high-performance cores and two high-efficiency cores.