Google's new Pixel 6 looks gorgeous in caramel and raspberry, but it's what's happening inside that will change everything.

Inside the pastel-colored bodies of Google’s latest Pixel phones sits the Tensor, Google’s new system-on-a-chip (SoC) and its attempt to rival Apple’s A-series chips. Like Apple Silicon, Tensor uses custom-designed chips that are tuned to the hardware. In Google’s case, the Tensor includes a new security chip, the Titan M2, and a mobile Tensor Processing Unit (TPU), which is built to handle AI processes like Night Sight and Recorder voice transcription. It’s seemingly the start of a trend that could topple the mighty all-purpose chips from Qualcomm and Intel.

“Intel, Qualcomm and other semiconductor vendors should be concerned about the development of purpose-built processors by companies like Apple and Google. These two events represent a trend toward application-specific processor development and will likely be continued by other, larger technology players,” Harry Pascarella, vice president of IoT analyst and strategy firm Harbor Research, told Lifewire via email.

The benefits of custom chips are clear. Just compare Apple’s M1-based MacBooks to previous Intel versions. On the outside, the Intel and M1 MacBook Airs look identical, but the all-Apple model is dramatically faster, has a battery life that lasts for days on a single charge, and runs so cool it doesn’t need a fan.