{ "version": "1.0.0", "segments": [ { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "0", "endTime": "3.62", "body": "The first cell phone I ever owned was an LG track phone." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "4", "endTime": "7.42", "body": "This was a small, by today's standards, flip phone." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "8.14", "endTime": "12.7", "body": "It had a screen on the inside when you flipped it open, and a small screen on the outside." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "13.42", "endTime": "19.56", "body": "This was around the time when you had to pay for every individual text message that you sent, so I didn't send any." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "20.78", "endTime": "24.02", "body": "Funny enough, I actually didn't even want a cell phone at the time." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "24.34", "endTime": "27.26", "body": "I tried to wait as long as I could to not have one." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "27.26", "endTime": "33.8", "body": "But since I had just got my learner's permit to start driving, my parents thought it would be a good idea for me to have one." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "34.54", "endTime": "39.12", "body": "There was nothing special about it. It made calls, and I could listen to voicemails." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "39.6", "endTime": "42.36", "body": "There was no data, so I couldn't browse the web." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "42.8", "endTime": "50", "body": "Not that you'd want to, because the interface was terrible, and the mobile browsers at the time were miserable to navigate with." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "51.02", "endTime": "55.04", "body": "The LG track phone was a phone with a chip that could do some computation." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "56.22", "endTime": "59.54", "body": "Today's phones with their system on a chip, also known as a sock," }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "59.54", "endTime": "59.58", "body": "There's nothing but it's fine, there's nothing but a mouse in it." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "59.58", "endTime": "59.68", "body": "It's fine but I know if it's fine." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "59.9", "endTime": "59.98", "body": "So something to see with a phone 취 physicists at the time," }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "60", "endTime": "67.32", "body": "is a computer that just so happens to make phone calls from ram to gpu to cpus to a single chip" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "67.32", "endTime": "74.96", "body": "on this episode of in the shell the wrong thing to do is just go out and buy a computer and then" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "74.96", "endTime": "79.64", "body": "learn about it you'll learn but you'll learn a lot of things that maybe you didn't want to learn" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "79.64", "endTime": "85.82", "body": "a computer that you buy today will likely be obsolete six months from now and there's not" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "85.82", "endTime": "93.36", "body": "a dang thing that you can do about it my name is josh and i'm able to keep this podcast independent" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "93.36", "endTime": "99.24", "body": "and advertisement free because of support from listeners like you if you are finding value in" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "99.24", "endTime": "106.14", "body": "what i'm doing here consider becoming a paid supporter at members.sideofburritos.com and as" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "106.14", "endTime": "112.76", "body": "a thank you members get early access to new videos ad free versions of everything bonus content and" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "112.76", "endTime": "119.98", "body": "access to a live monthly q a thanks for considering now let's get back to the show if you" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "120", "endTime": "124.46", "body": "crack open a modern smartphone, you won't find a big motherboard with separate chips for the" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "124.46", "endTime": "131.24", "body": "processor, graphics, and memory like in a PC. Instead, there's usually one main chip about the" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "131.24", "endTime": "138.54", "body": "size of a fingernail. This is the System on Chip, SOC, an integrated circuit that packs most of a" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "138.54", "endTime": "146", "body": "device's critical components, CPU, GPU, memory controllers, wireless modems, onto a single piece" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "146", "endTime": "152.96", "body": "of silicon. This high level of integration minimizes the need for multiple discrete components," }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "153.36", "endTime": "160.08", "body": "which in turn enhances power efficiency and simplifies device design. Because SOCs combine" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "160.08", "endTime": "166.6", "body": "so many things together, they allow mobile devices to be incredibly compact. In a desktop computer," }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "166.84", "endTime": "174.32", "body": "the CPU, GPU, RAM, and other components sit separately on a large board. But in a phone or tablet," }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "174.32", "endTime": "178.72", "body": "the SOC approach crams that computing power into a single chipset." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "180", "endTime": "185.4", "body": "The result is that even a slim phone can do complex computing tasks since its system lives" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "185.4", "endTime": "186.62", "body": "on one efficient chip." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "188.1", "endTime": "191.46", "body": "It wasn't always possible to put an entire system on one chip." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "191.98", "endTime": "197.32", "body": "In the early days of electronics and mobile phones, a handset needed numerous chips working" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "197.32", "endTime": "204.3", "body": "together, one for the CPU, others for memory, a separate baseband modem for calls, another" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "204.3", "endTime": "205.58", "body": "for the radio transceiver." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "206.7", "endTime": "212.72", "body": "If you remember old mobile phones, or even early smartphones, they were relatively bulky." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "213.28", "endTime": "219.04", "body": "Part of that bulk was due to having a circuit board crowded with many specialized chips handling" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "219.04", "endTime": "219.84", "body": "different tasks." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "220.96", "endTime": "226.92", "body": "By the late 1990s and early 2000s, the industry was pushing hard to miniaturize and combine" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "226.92", "endTime": "227.58", "body": "these components." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "229.02", "endTime": "230.72", "body": "The impact of this evolution was huge." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "230.72", "endTime": "236.4", "body": "Integrating formerly discrete components into a single SOC brought shorter interconnections" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "236.4", "endTime": "239.88", "body": "and system-level optimizations that make the whole device" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "239.88", "endTime": "239.94", "body": "get theõe and secure." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "239.94", "endTime": "239.98", "body": "So I don't think it's just a long time on the server." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "240", "endTime": "245.74", "body": "run more efficiently. That means phones could keep getting smaller and thinner, even though I think" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "245.74", "endTime": "250.64", "body": "they are thin enough already, since one tightly integrated chip replaced many larger ones." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "251.3", "endTime": "258.68", "body": "It also laid the groundwork for today's wearables and IoT gadgets. Efficiency gains also come from" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "258.68", "endTime": "264.92", "body": "optimization. The chip's designers can coordinate how the CPU, GPU, and other units work together," }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "265.6", "endTime": "271.82", "body": "scheduling tasks and managing clock speeds in a tightly integrated way. The result is often" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "271.82", "endTime": "279.28", "body": "higher overall performance since signals stay on chip. There's also economic and reliability perks" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "279.28", "endTime": "285.74", "body": "as well. Fewer separate parts on a circuit board means fewer points of failure. A single chip has" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "285.74", "endTime": "292.3", "body": "many internal connections, but far fewer pins and soldered joints externally compared to a multi-chip" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "292.3", "endTime": "298.2", "body": "solution. This compact simplicity can make devices more robust and cheaper to produce at scale." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "298.66", "endTime": "299.98", "body": "Of course, the trade-off" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "300", "endTime": "304.46", "body": "is that if something does go wrong inside the sock, you can't just replace one component." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "304.8", "endTime": "311.04", "body": "The entire chip would need replacing. So as far as repairability goes, that's a downside." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "311.7", "endTime": "318.18", "body": "Not that many of us would be soldering chips at that level. Now as far as socks go, each big" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "318.18", "endTime": "324.54", "body": "manufacturer has their own. Apple designs its own sock for iPhones and iPads, known as the A-Series" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "324.54", "endTime": "333.04", "body": "Chips. These chips integrate a multi-core 64-bit CPU, Apple's custom GPU, and specialized neural" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "324.92", "endTime": "325.86", "body": "oh" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "333.04", "endTime": "340.86", "body": "engines and image processors on one silicone die. Apple even embeds a secure Enclave coprocessor" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "340.86", "endTime": "348.16", "body": "in its socks, a dedicated security subsystem isolated from the main CPU, to handle sensitive" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "348.16", "endTime": "355.62", "body": "data like Touch ID, Face ID, and biometrics. By crafting the entire sock in-house, Apple has" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "355.62", "endTime": "359.92", "body": "been able to optimize iOS to run extremely efficiently on that hardware." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "360", "endTime": "367.92", "body": "much like they later did with the M chips in Macs. Now moving to Android, Qualcomm's Snapdragon line" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "367.92", "endTime": "374.66", "body": "is ubiquitous in Android smartphones. A Snapdragon is a full system-on chip that typically includes" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "374.66", "endTime": "381.88", "body": "multiple ARM-based CPU cores, an Arduino GPU, and a built-in cellular modem for 4G and 5G" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "381.88", "endTime": "388.5", "body": "connectivity all on the same chip. Snapdragons also have signal processors for audio and video," }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "389.18", "endTime": "396.28", "body": "GPS receivers, AI acceleration engines, and more depending on the model. This means a phone from" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "396.28", "endTime": "402.7", "body": "Samsung, OnePlus, or Xiaomi that uses a Snapdragon chip can rely on that one piece of silicon to" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "402.7", "endTime": "409.92", "body": "handle everything from running apps to connecting to calls over a 5G network. And sticking with Android," }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "410.48", "endTime": "416.6", "body": "even Google has their Tensor chip, which they first introduced in the Pixel 6 phone. Google Tensor was" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "416.6", "endTime": "419.98", "body": "co-developed with Samsung and is a custom SOC tailored for Android." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "420", "endTime": "420.88", "body": "for Google's needs." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "421.88", "endTime": "425.56", "body": "It combines standard ARM CPU cores and the Mali GPU" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "426.36", "endTime": "429.08", "body": "with Google's own AI and machine learning silicon." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "430.54", "endTime": "432.86", "body": "Besides some of the benefits I mentioned earlier," }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "433.2", "endTime": "434.86", "body": "moving to an all-in-one chip" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "434.86", "endTime": "436.62", "body": "can also bring security advantages." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "437.34", "endTime": "440.1", "body": "One benefit is that with fewer separate components" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "440.1", "endTime": "441.3", "body": "and exposed connections," }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "441.62", "endTime": "444.54", "body": "there are fewer attack surfaces for hardware hacks." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "445.82", "endTime": "449.2", "body": "In a traditional PC, data travels over external buses" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "449.2", "endTime": "452.22", "body": "between the CPU, RAM, and peripherals," }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "452.26", "endTime": "455.12", "body": "which could potentially be intercepted or tampered with." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "456", "endTime": "457.24", "body": "In a single chip system," }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "457.7", "endTime": "460.06", "body": "much of that communication is internal to the silicon." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "461.32", "endTime": "462.96", "body": "Modern SOCKs also come" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "462.96", "endTime": "464.96", "body": "with hardware security features built in." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "465.58", "endTime": "468.68", "body": "Because the manufacturer controls the whole chip design," }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "469.16", "endTime": "471.84", "body": "they can embed dedicated security subsystems." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "472.84", "endTime": "474.22", "body": "There's Apple's Secure Enclave," }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "474.42", "endTime": "477.2", "body": "which is a secure coprocessor integrated" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "477.2", "endTime": "479.68", "body": "into the SOCK of iPhones and Macs." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "480", "endTime": "486.4", "body": "to keep sensitive data isolated. Most ARM-based SOCs, which includes the Snapdragon and Tensor," }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "487.18", "endTime": "492.24", "body": "implement ARM Trust Zone technology, which creates a secure execution environment on the" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "492.24", "endTime": "498.98", "body": "SOC itself. It means the chip can run a trusted OS in parallel with the main OS, handling things" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "498.98", "endTime": "504.7", "body": "like cryptographic operations or authentication in a walled-off area of the processor." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "505.7", "endTime": "511.52", "body": "In addition, SOCs often support Secure Boot, which ensures the device only runs trusted" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "511.52", "endTime": "518", "body": "signed software and have on-chip cryptographic engines for speedy encryption and decryption" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "518.54", "endTime": "524.24", "body": "that never expose keys to the outside. I think SOCs are one of the most important" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "524.24", "endTime": "529.88", "body": "advancements when it comes to hardware privacy and security, and nearly all of us hold one" }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "529.88", "endTime": "533.34", "body": "in our hand every day and rarely give it a second thought." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "536.54", "endTime": "539.48", "body": "In the Shell is written, researched, and recorded by me." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "539.48", "endTime": "539.58", "body": "me." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "540", "endTime": "546.28", "body": "the podcaster on a chip. If you're listening in an app that lets you rate shows," }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "546.82", "endTime": "550.7", "body": "please take a minute to rate this one. I would truly appreciate it." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "552.32", "endTime": "555.82", "body": "And when you travel, always remember to bring extra socks." }, { "speaker": "Josh", "startTime": "557.68", "endTime": "560.84", "body": "That's it. Take care, and I'll see you next time." } ] }