BOISE, Idaho and SANTA CLARA, Calif., Feb. 1, 2008 – Intel Corporation and Micron Technology Inc. today unveiled a high speed NAND flash memory technology that can greatly enhance the access and transfer of data in devices that use silicon for storage. The new technology – developed jointly by Intel and Micron and manufactured by the companies' NAND flash joint venture, IM Flash Technologies (IMFT) – is five times faster than conventional NAND, allowing data to be transferred in a fraction of the time for computing, video, photography and other computing applications.
The new high speed NAND can reach speeds up to 200 megabytes per second (MB/s) for reading data and 100 MB/s for writing data, achieved by leveraging the new ONFI 2.0 specification and a four-plane architecture with higher clock speeds. In comparison, conventional single level cell NAND is limited to 40 MB/s for reading data and less than 20 MB/s for writing data.
"Micron looks forward to unlocking the possibilities with high speed NAND," said Frankie Roohparvar, Micron vice president of NAND development. "We are working with an ecosystem of key enablers and partners to build and optimize corresponding system technologies that take advantage of its improved performance capabilities. Micron is committed to NAND innovation and designing new features into the technology that create a powerful data storage solution for today's most popular consumer electronic and computing devices."
"The computing market is embracing NAND-based solutions to accelerate system performance through the use of caching and solid-state drives," said Pete Hazen, director of marketing, Intel NAND Products Group. "At up to five times the performance over conventional NAND, the high speed NAND from Intel and Micron, based on the ONFi 2.0 industry standard, will enable new embedded solutions and removable solutions that take advantage of high–performance system interfaces, including PCIe and upcoming standards such as USB 3.0."
For example, the specific performance advantages of high speed NAND in today's most popular devices include:
When used in a hybrid hard drive, high speed NAND can allow the system to read and write data anywhere between two or four times the speed when compared to conventional hard drives.
With the popularity of digital video cameras and video on demand services, high speed NAND can enable a high-definition movie to be transferred five times faster than conventional NAND.
With the pending USB 3.0 interface, high speed NAND is expected to effectively deliver on the increased data transfer rates of the new specification, where conventional NAND would act as the bottleneck in system performance. USB 3.0 is aiming for 10 times the bandwidth of current USB 2.0 solutions, or approximately achieving 4.8 gigabits per second.
As NAND continues to move into the PC platform, the Non-Volatile Memory Host Controller Interface (NVMHCI) can take advantage of high speed NAND in solutions such as Intel® Turbo Memory, allowing for even better system performance. NVMHCI is designed to provide a standard software programming interface allowing operating system drivers to access NAND flash memory storage in applications such as hard drive caching and solid-state drives.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Intel, STMicroelectronics Deliver Industry's First Phase Change Memory Prototypes
SANTA CLARA, Calif and GENEVA, Feb. 6, 2008 – Intel Corporation and STMicroelectronics reached a key industry milestone today as they began shipping prototype samples of a future product using a new, innovative memory technology called Phase Change Memory (PCM). The prototypes are the first functional silicon to be delivered to customers for evaluation, bringing the technology one step closer to adoption.
The memory device, codenamed "Alverstone" uses PCM, a promising new memory technology providing very fast read and write speeds at lower power than conventional flash, and allows for bit alterability normally seen in RAM. PCM has long been a topic of discussion for research and development, and with "Alverstone," Intel and STMicroelectronics are helping to move the technology into the marketplace.
"This is the most significant non-volatile memory advancement in 40 years," said Ed Doller, chief technology officer-designate of Numonyx, the new name for the pending STMicroelectronics and Intel flash memory company. "There have been plenty of attempts to find and develop new non-volatile memory technologies, yet of all the concepts, PCM provides the most compelling solution – and Intel and STMicroelectronics are delivering PCM into the hands of customers today. This is an important milestone for the industry and for our companies."
In related news, Intel and STMicroelectronics technologists presented a research paper this week at the International Solid States Circuits Conference (ISSCC) describing yet another breakthrough in PCM technology. Together, the companies created the world’s first demonstrable high-density, multi-level cell (MLC) large memory device using PCM technology. The move from single bit per cell to MLC also brings significantly higher density at a lower cost per Mbyte making the combination of MLC and PCM a powerful development.
In 2003, Intel and STMicroelectronics formed a joint development program (JDP) to focus on Phase Change Memory development. Previously the JDP demonstrated 8Mb memory arrays on 180nm at the 2004 VLSI conference and first disclosed the Alverstone 90nm 128Mbit memory device at the 2006 VLSI Symposium. Alverstone and future JDP products will become part of Numonyx, a new independent semiconductor company created through an agreement between STMicroelectronics, Intel and Francisco Partners signed in May 2007. The new company's strategic focus will be on supplying complete memory solutions for a variety of consumer and industrial devices, including cellular phones, MP3 players, digital cameras, computers and other high-tech equipment. The companies are scheduled to close the transaction in the first quarter of 2008.
In 2007, the combined memory market for DRAM, flash, and other memory products such as EEPROM was US$61 billion, according to the industry research firm Web-Feet Research, Inc. Memory technology cost declines have traditionally been driven at the rate of "Moore’s Law," where density doubles every 18 months with each lithography shrink. As RAM and flash technologies run into scaling limitations over the next decade, PCM costs will decline at a faster rate. The advent of multi-level-cell PCM will further accelerate the cost per bit crossover of PCM technology relative to today's technologies. Finally, by combining the bit-alterability of DRAM, the non-volatility of flash, the fast reads of NOR and the fast writes of NAND, PCM has the ability to address the entire memory market and be a key driver for future growth over the next decade.
Alverstone is a 128Mb device built on 90nm and is intended to allow memory customers to evaluate PCM features, allowing cellular and embedded customers to learn more about PCM and how it can be incorporated into their future system designs.
The memory device, codenamed "Alverstone" uses PCM, a promising new memory technology providing very fast read and write speeds at lower power than conventional flash, and allows for bit alterability normally seen in RAM. PCM has long been a topic of discussion for research and development, and with "Alverstone," Intel and STMicroelectronics are helping to move the technology into the marketplace.
"This is the most significant non-volatile memory advancement in 40 years," said Ed Doller, chief technology officer-designate of Numonyx, the new name for the pending STMicroelectronics and Intel flash memory company. "There have been plenty of attempts to find and develop new non-volatile memory technologies, yet of all the concepts, PCM provides the most compelling solution – and Intel and STMicroelectronics are delivering PCM into the hands of customers today. This is an important milestone for the industry and for our companies."
In related news, Intel and STMicroelectronics technologists presented a research paper this week at the International Solid States Circuits Conference (ISSCC) describing yet another breakthrough in PCM technology. Together, the companies created the world’s first demonstrable high-density, multi-level cell (MLC) large memory device using PCM technology. The move from single bit per cell to MLC also brings significantly higher density at a lower cost per Mbyte making the combination of MLC and PCM a powerful development.
In 2003, Intel and STMicroelectronics formed a joint development program (JDP) to focus on Phase Change Memory development. Previously the JDP demonstrated 8Mb memory arrays on 180nm at the 2004 VLSI conference and first disclosed the Alverstone 90nm 128Mbit memory device at the 2006 VLSI Symposium. Alverstone and future JDP products will become part of Numonyx, a new independent semiconductor company created through an agreement between STMicroelectronics, Intel and Francisco Partners signed in May 2007. The new company's strategic focus will be on supplying complete memory solutions for a variety of consumer and industrial devices, including cellular phones, MP3 players, digital cameras, computers and other high-tech equipment. The companies are scheduled to close the transaction in the first quarter of 2008.
In 2007, the combined memory market for DRAM, flash, and other memory products such as EEPROM was US$61 billion, according to the industry research firm Web-Feet Research, Inc. Memory technology cost declines have traditionally been driven at the rate of "Moore’s Law," where density doubles every 18 months with each lithography shrink. As RAM and flash technologies run into scaling limitations over the next decade, PCM costs will decline at a faster rate. The advent of multi-level-cell PCM will further accelerate the cost per bit crossover of PCM technology relative to today's technologies. Finally, by combining the bit-alterability of DRAM, the non-volatility of flash, the fast reads of NOR and the fast writes of NAND, PCM has the ability to address the entire memory market and be a key driver for future growth over the next decade.
Alverstone is a 128Mb device built on 90nm and is intended to allow memory customers to evaluate PCM features, allowing cellular and embedded customers to learn more about PCM and how it can be incorporated into their future system designs.
Intel and FREEDOM4 Collaborate to Accelerate Deployment of WiMAX Network in the U.K.
LONDON – Feb. 11, 2008 – In an effort to bring people faster, lower cost and a truly mobile, data broadband technology, FREEDOM4 and Intel Corporation today announced a collaboration to accelerate mobile WiMAX deployment in the U.K. Intel Capital, Intel Corporation's global investment organization, also announced that it has signed an agreement to make a substantial investment in U.K. based FREEDOM4 Limited (“FREEDOM4”), formerly known as Pipex Wireless Limited. Pipex Communications PLC will also join Intel Capital in this investment. This latest investment from Intel Capital and Pipex Communications, a major U.K. based telecommunications provider, follows FREEDOM4's successful WiMAX trials in the U.K.
FREEDOM4 is a pioneer in WiMAX services with broad spectrum assets, which will enable the deployment of WiMAX across the U.K. WiMAX services provided by FREEDOM4 aim to make personal wireless broadband available to both businesses and consumers at affordable prices. WiMAX represents the future of mobile broadband and Intel Capital, along with tremendous support from a worldwide ecosystem, is a leading global investor in WiMAX technology.
"Intel Capital is a major investor in WiMAX technology and is committed to accelerating the deployment of open-standards mobile broadband around the world," said Arvind Sodhani, president of Intel Capital. "FREEDOM4 has built a top-notch management team and this is a strategic investment opportunity through which we can help facilitate the deployment of wireless broadband in the U.K market."
Mike Read, CEO, FREEDOM4 adds, "Following the success of the commercial launch of our services in Milton Keynes, we are in the next phase of our development: making FREEDOM4 the market leader in 'personal' wireless broadband access. The investment from Intel Capital and Pipex Communications will facilitate the roll out of a WiMAX network in other cities around the U.K., providing a truly flexible service to businesses and consumers."
Delivering Mobile WiMAXIntel is a leader in driving the development and deployment of WiMAX, a new wireless broadband technology that delivers "broadband on the go." Mobile WiMAX, based on the IEEE 802.16e industry specification, is a mobile broadband wireless technology that provides low-cost, multi-megabit speed and increased throughput for accessing large amounts of data such as movies and multimedia content. Intel's integrated Wi-Fi/WiMAX module (codenamed "Echo Peak") will debut in certain next-generation Intel® Centrino® processor-based laptops (codenamed "Montevina") beginning in the middle of the year. The company's low-power mobile WiMAX silicon specifically designed for mobile Internet and consumer electronic devices (codenamed "Baxter Peak") will also be available this year.
FREEDOM4 is a pioneer in WiMAX services with broad spectrum assets, which will enable the deployment of WiMAX across the U.K. WiMAX services provided by FREEDOM4 aim to make personal wireless broadband available to both businesses and consumers at affordable prices. WiMAX represents the future of mobile broadband and Intel Capital, along with tremendous support from a worldwide ecosystem, is a leading global investor in WiMAX technology.
"Intel Capital is a major investor in WiMAX technology and is committed to accelerating the deployment of open-standards mobile broadband around the world," said Arvind Sodhani, president of Intel Capital. "FREEDOM4 has built a top-notch management team and this is a strategic investment opportunity through which we can help facilitate the deployment of wireless broadband in the U.K market."
Mike Read, CEO, FREEDOM4 adds, "Following the success of the commercial launch of our services in Milton Keynes, we are in the next phase of our development: making FREEDOM4 the market leader in 'personal' wireless broadband access. The investment from Intel Capital and Pipex Communications will facilitate the roll out of a WiMAX network in other cities around the U.K., providing a truly flexible service to businesses and consumers."
Delivering Mobile WiMAXIntel is a leader in driving the development and deployment of WiMAX, a new wireless broadband technology that delivers "broadband on the go." Mobile WiMAX, based on the IEEE 802.16e industry specification, is a mobile broadband wireless technology that provides low-cost, multi-megabit speed and increased throughput for accessing large amounts of data such as movies and multimedia content. Intel's integrated Wi-Fi/WiMAX module (codenamed "Echo Peak") will debut in certain next-generation Intel® Centrino® processor-based laptops (codenamed "Montevina") beginning in the middle of the year. The company's low-power mobile WiMAX silicon specifically designed for mobile Internet and consumer electronic devices (codenamed "Baxter Peak") will also be available this year.
Intel Delivers 'Hard-Core' Eight-Core Platform for PC Performance Aficionados
GAME DEVELOPERS CONFERENCE, San Francisco, Feb. 19, 2008 – For those who crave more performance than what four processing cores and a single graphics card can deliver today, Intel Corporation has introduced the Intel® Dual Socket Extreme Desktop Platform. Formerly codenamed "Skulltrail," this is one of the first enthusiast desktop platforms to support two Intel quad core processors for a total of eight processing engines and a choice of multi-card graphics solutions from either ATI* or NVIDIA*.
"When it comes to delivering innovation to the ultimate enthusiast, our new 8-core desktop platform is a winner," said Jeff McCrea, senior vice president and general manager of Intel's Digital Home Group. "The ground-breaking Intel Desktop Board D5400XS enables the flexibility to pair a variety of quad graphics solutions with two of our fastest desktop processors. The result is stunning PC performance."
The Intel® Desktop Board D5400XS, when paired with two Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme QX9775 processors, forms the foundation of the Intel Dual Socket Extreme Desktop Platform. Hardcore gamers will welcome the opportunity to enjoy multiple simultaneous graphics card solutions featuring either NVIDIA SLI* or ATI Crossfire* for today's latest graphics-intensive titles. And the performance of eight processing cores is especially welcomed by the 3-D animators, digital audio artists and high-definition video editors behind the coolest games here at the Game Developers Conference.
"For the team creating world-class games here at id, time is one of our most valuable assets," said Robert A. Duffy, Programming Director, id Software. "Having eight powerful Intel cores in a single machine helps our team create and test our latest titles at record speed. We have seen one of our most time-consuming asset generation processes cut from over 4 hours to under 20 minutes by utilizing all eight cores and threading the generation code. Long term this translates to better games on the market faster than previously possible."
As high-definition video becomes more prevalent than ever, encoding and editing is a task that more power users are looking to their PC to do for them. Such workloads are handled with ease by this new platform, and video developers such as DivX* are excited about the possibilities.
"By optimizing our codec to take advantage of these eight cores, we're seeing very impressive performance gains in our labs," said Jerome Vashisht-Rota, co-founder of DivX Inc. "Natively supporting eight core technology allows us to significantly accelerate codec performance for processor intensive applications like the encoding of high-definition video on the PC so that we can continue to offer our users the high-quality digital video experience they have come to expect."
Each Intel Core 2 Extreme processor QX9775 offers 12MB of L2 cache, a fast 1600 MHz system bus and four cores running at a brisk 3.2 GHz. When paired on the dual-socket Intel Desktop Board D5400XS, this platform breezes through modern benchmarks and advanced workloads. For experienced enthusiasts who desire more capability, the Intel Core 2 Extreme processor bus ratio locks (overspeed protection) have been removed**. This offers added technical flexibility in customizing the system so OEMs can unleash even more performance.
"This dual processor platform is the fastest desktop PC we've ever tested in our labs, reaching a score of 6481*** on 3DMark06* CPU and 20,160*** on Cinebench* 10 even while running at the standard 3.20 GHz frequency," says Shervin Kheradpir, director of Intel performance benchmarking.
Pricing and Availability:
The Intel Core 2 Extreme processor QX9775 is available now at an MSRP of $1,499 each. Estimated street pricing for the Intel Desktop Board D5400XS is $649. Platform components are sold separately. Several enthusiast PC manufacturers plan to offer systems based on this new platform starting today and over the next 30 days, including Armari*, Boxx Tech*, Digital Storm*, Falcon Northwest*, Maingear*, Puget Systems*, Scan*, Velocity Micro*, Vigor Gaming*, Voodoo*, @Xi Computers* and others.
"When it comes to delivering innovation to the ultimate enthusiast, our new 8-core desktop platform is a winner," said Jeff McCrea, senior vice president and general manager of Intel's Digital Home Group. "The ground-breaking Intel Desktop Board D5400XS enables the flexibility to pair a variety of quad graphics solutions with two of our fastest desktop processors. The result is stunning PC performance."
The Intel® Desktop Board D5400XS, when paired with two Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme QX9775 processors, forms the foundation of the Intel Dual Socket Extreme Desktop Platform. Hardcore gamers will welcome the opportunity to enjoy multiple simultaneous graphics card solutions featuring either NVIDIA SLI* or ATI Crossfire* for today's latest graphics-intensive titles. And the performance of eight processing cores is especially welcomed by the 3-D animators, digital audio artists and high-definition video editors behind the coolest games here at the Game Developers Conference.
"For the team creating world-class games here at id, time is one of our most valuable assets," said Robert A. Duffy, Programming Director, id Software. "Having eight powerful Intel cores in a single machine helps our team create and test our latest titles at record speed. We have seen one of our most time-consuming asset generation processes cut from over 4 hours to under 20 minutes by utilizing all eight cores and threading the generation code. Long term this translates to better games on the market faster than previously possible."
As high-definition video becomes more prevalent than ever, encoding and editing is a task that more power users are looking to their PC to do for them. Such workloads are handled with ease by this new platform, and video developers such as DivX* are excited about the possibilities.
"By optimizing our codec to take advantage of these eight cores, we're seeing very impressive performance gains in our labs," said Jerome Vashisht-Rota, co-founder of DivX Inc. "Natively supporting eight core technology allows us to significantly accelerate codec performance for processor intensive applications like the encoding of high-definition video on the PC so that we can continue to offer our users the high-quality digital video experience they have come to expect."
Each Intel Core 2 Extreme processor QX9775 offers 12MB of L2 cache, a fast 1600 MHz system bus and four cores running at a brisk 3.2 GHz. When paired on the dual-socket Intel Desktop Board D5400XS, this platform breezes through modern benchmarks and advanced workloads. For experienced enthusiasts who desire more capability, the Intel Core 2 Extreme processor bus ratio locks (overspeed protection) have been removed**. This offers added technical flexibility in customizing the system so OEMs can unleash even more performance.
"This dual processor platform is the fastest desktop PC we've ever tested in our labs, reaching a score of 6481*** on 3DMark06* CPU and 20,160*** on Cinebench* 10 even while running at the standard 3.20 GHz frequency," says Shervin Kheradpir, director of Intel performance benchmarking.
Pricing and Availability:
The Intel Core 2 Extreme processor QX9775 is available now at an MSRP of $1,499 each. Estimated street pricing for the Intel Desktop Board D5400XS is $649. Platform components are sold separately. Several enthusiast PC manufacturers plan to offer systems based on this new platform starting today and over the next 30 days, including Armari*, Boxx Tech*, Digital Storm*, Falcon Northwest*, Maingear*, Puget Systems*, Scan*, Velocity Micro*, Vigor Gaming*, Voodoo*, @Xi Computers* and others.
Intel Ships New Processors for Embedded, Communications and Storage Markets Based on New Transistors, Manufacturing
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Feb. 27, 2008 – Intel Corporation today announced expanded offerings for embedded market segments with new processors with extended, 7-year life cycle support, a new chipset and a carrier-grade server. The processors, based on Intel's revolutionary high-k, metal gate transistor formula and manufactured on the company's 45-nanometer (nm) process, include the Quad-Core Intel® Xeon® processor 5400 Series and Dual-Core Intel® Xeon® processor 5200 Series.
These new processors, coupled with the new power-optimized Intel® 5100 Memory Controller Hub (MCH) chipset, comprise the first 45nm CPU platforms for thermally constrained bladed applications. When using the Intel 5000P chipset, the 45nm processors are ideal for full-performance and memory-intensive applications such as storage, routers, security and medical solutions, as well as communications applications such as IP Multimedia Subsystems (IMS).
The processors take advantage of Intel's Hafnium-based, high-k metal gate transistor formula, which reduces power consumption, increases switching speed and significantly increases transistor density over the company's previous 65nm manufacturing technology. These 45nm CPU-based platforms, based on the Intel® 5100 MCH chipset, are ideal for 200 watt maximum power envelope specifications such as AdvancedTCA* and also for NEBS Level-3 requirements.
"We're acutely aware of the performance demands and power consumption concerns of our customers and reached a remarkable 67 percent more compute performance-per-watt when we validated the Intel 5100 MCH chipset-based 45nm quad-core platform1," said Doug Davis, vice president and general manager of Intel's Embedded and Communications Group. "In addition, the 45nm quad-core processors also allow for a 22 percent performance gain over previous-generation platforms within the same thermal profile2, making it an excellent choice for compute-intensive applications such as IMS and platforms for storage, routers and security."
"Ericsson will introduce its quad-core Intel Xeon Processor-based IMS/Core network nodes and application servers to allow operators and service providers to host more subscribers in a smaller footprint, thus lowering total cost of ownership and environmental impact," said Magnus Furustam, vice president and head of Ericsson's product area Core and IMS. "The processing headroom will also enable the next generation of innovative IMS services. To accelerate this innovation, Ericsson and Intel are promoting the benefits of IMS to the communications developer community globally."
Intel is offering extended lifecycle support for 7 years for the Dual-Core Intel Xeon processor 5200 series (E5240, E5220, L5238) and the Quad-Core Intel Xeon processor 5400 series (E5440 and L5408). This represents an expansion from previous minimum support of 5 years.
The new Intel® Carrier Grade Server TIGH2U building block offers increased choice for customers that require power efficiency and improved compute performance for high-end communication applications. Intel also announced enhancements for the Intel® Carrier Grade Server TIGW1U, Intel® IP Network Server NSW1U and Intel® IP Network Server NSC2U. These reliable communication rack-mount servers now support the Quad-Core Intel® Xeon® processor 5400 Series and are ideal for telco and network applications in harsh environments with NEBS Level-3 requirements that demand high performance, energy efficiency and high I/O throughput.
Pricing and AvailabilityThe 45nm processors with extended lifecycle support are available today, and prices range from $321 to $690. The dual-core Intel Xeon processor L5238 at 35 watts will be available in April. The Intel 5100 MCH chipset is available today, starting at $76.
These new processors, coupled with the new power-optimized Intel® 5100 Memory Controller Hub (MCH) chipset, comprise the first 45nm CPU platforms for thermally constrained bladed applications. When using the Intel 5000P chipset, the 45nm processors are ideal for full-performance and memory-intensive applications such as storage, routers, security and medical solutions, as well as communications applications such as IP Multimedia Subsystems (IMS).
The processors take advantage of Intel's Hafnium-based, high-k metal gate transistor formula, which reduces power consumption, increases switching speed and significantly increases transistor density over the company's previous 65nm manufacturing technology. These 45nm CPU-based platforms, based on the Intel® 5100 MCH chipset, are ideal for 200 watt maximum power envelope specifications such as AdvancedTCA* and also for NEBS Level-3 requirements.
"We're acutely aware of the performance demands and power consumption concerns of our customers and reached a remarkable 67 percent more compute performance-per-watt when we validated the Intel 5100 MCH chipset-based 45nm quad-core platform1," said Doug Davis, vice president and general manager of Intel's Embedded and Communications Group. "In addition, the 45nm quad-core processors also allow for a 22 percent performance gain over previous-generation platforms within the same thermal profile2, making it an excellent choice for compute-intensive applications such as IMS and platforms for storage, routers and security."
"Ericsson will introduce its quad-core Intel Xeon Processor-based IMS/Core network nodes and application servers to allow operators and service providers to host more subscribers in a smaller footprint, thus lowering total cost of ownership and environmental impact," said Magnus Furustam, vice president and head of Ericsson's product area Core and IMS. "The processing headroom will also enable the next generation of innovative IMS services. To accelerate this innovation, Ericsson and Intel are promoting the benefits of IMS to the communications developer community globally."
Intel is offering extended lifecycle support for 7 years for the Dual-Core Intel Xeon processor 5200 series (E5240, E5220, L5238) and the Quad-Core Intel Xeon processor 5400 series (E5440 and L5408). This represents an expansion from previous minimum support of 5 years.
The new Intel® Carrier Grade Server TIGH2U building block offers increased choice for customers that require power efficiency and improved compute performance for high-end communication applications. Intel also announced enhancements for the Intel® Carrier Grade Server TIGW1U, Intel® IP Network Server NSW1U and Intel® IP Network Server NSC2U. These reliable communication rack-mount servers now support the Quad-Core Intel® Xeon® processor 5400 Series and are ideal for telco and network applications in harsh environments with NEBS Level-3 requirements that demand high performance, energy efficiency and high I/O throughput.
Pricing and AvailabilityThe 45nm processors with extended lifecycle support are available today, and prices range from $321 to $690. The dual-core Intel Xeon processor L5238 at 35 watts will be available in April. The Intel 5100 MCH chipset is available today, starting at $76.
Intel Announces Intel® Atom™ Brand for New Family of Low-Power Processors
SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 2, 2008 – The Intel® Atom™ processor will be the name for a new family of low-power processors designed specifically for mobile Internet devices (MIDs) and a new class of simple and affordable Internet-centric computers arriving later this year. Together, these new market segments represent a significant new opportunity to grow the overall market for Intel silicon, using the Intel Atom processor as the foundation. The company also announced the Intel® Centrino® Atom™ processor technology brand for MID platforms, consisting of multiple chips that enable the best Internet experience in a pocketable device.
The Intel Atom processor is based on an entirely new microarchitecture designed specifically for small devices and low power, while maintaining the Intel® Core™ 2 Duo instruction set compatibility consumers are accustomed to when using a standard PC and the Internet. The design also includes support for multiple threads for better performance and increased system responsiveness. All of this on a chip that measures less than 25 mm², making it Intel's smallest and lowest power processor yet.1 Up to 11 Intel Atom processor die -- the tiny slivers of silicon packed with 47 million transistors each -- would fit in an area the size of an American penny.
These new chips, previously codenamed Silverthorne and Diamondville, will be manufactured on Intel's industry-leading 45nm process with hi-k metal gate technology. The chips have a thermal design power (TDP) specification in 0.6-2.5 watt range and scale to 1.8GHz speeds depending on customer need. By comparison, today's mainstream mobile Core 2 Duo processors have a TDP in the 35-watt range.
"This is our smallest processor built with the world's smallest transistors," said Intel Executive Vice President and Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Sean Maloney. "This small wonder is a fundamental new shift in design, small yet powerful enough to enable a big Internet experience on these new devices. We believe it will unleash new innovation across the industry."
With personal computing increasingly going mobile and the computer industry rapidly developing new classes of products to connect the next billion people to the Internet, the Intel Atom processor offers customers the unique ability to innovate around the new low-power design. In addition to the MID opportunity, Intel believes the demand for a new category of low-cost, Internet-centric mobile computing devices dubbed "netbooks" and basic Internet-centric desktop PCs dubbed "nettops," will grow substantially over the next several years. The Intel Atom processor is perfectly suited to meet these new market segments.
Intel said the Intel Atom processor also has potential for future revenue opportunities in consumer electronic devices, embedded applications and thin clients.
Intel Centrino Atom Processor TechnologyThe Intel Centrino Atom processor technology brand represents Intel's best technology for MIDs. Formerly codenamed "Menlow," Intel Centrino Atom processor technology includes the Intel Atom processor, a low-power companion chip with integrated graphics, a wireless radio, and thinner and lighter designs. Together, these components are designed to enable the best mobile computing and Internet experience on these new devices.
The Intel Atom processor is based on an entirely new microarchitecture designed specifically for small devices and low power, while maintaining the Intel® Core™ 2 Duo instruction set compatibility consumers are accustomed to when using a standard PC and the Internet. The design also includes support for multiple threads for better performance and increased system responsiveness. All of this on a chip that measures less than 25 mm², making it Intel's smallest and lowest power processor yet.1 Up to 11 Intel Atom processor die -- the tiny slivers of silicon packed with 47 million transistors each -- would fit in an area the size of an American penny.
These new chips, previously codenamed Silverthorne and Diamondville, will be manufactured on Intel's industry-leading 45nm process with hi-k metal gate technology. The chips have a thermal design power (TDP) specification in 0.6-2.5 watt range and scale to 1.8GHz speeds depending on customer need. By comparison, today's mainstream mobile Core 2 Duo processors have a TDP in the 35-watt range.
"This is our smallest processor built with the world's smallest transistors," said Intel Executive Vice President and Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Sean Maloney. "This small wonder is a fundamental new shift in design, small yet powerful enough to enable a big Internet experience on these new devices. We believe it will unleash new innovation across the industry."
With personal computing increasingly going mobile and the computer industry rapidly developing new classes of products to connect the next billion people to the Internet, the Intel Atom processor offers customers the unique ability to innovate around the new low-power design. In addition to the MID opportunity, Intel believes the demand for a new category of low-cost, Internet-centric mobile computing devices dubbed "netbooks" and basic Internet-centric desktop PCs dubbed "nettops," will grow substantially over the next several years. The Intel Atom processor is perfectly suited to meet these new market segments.
Intel said the Intel Atom processor also has potential for future revenue opportunities in consumer electronic devices, embedded applications and thin clients.
Intel Centrino Atom Processor TechnologyThe Intel Centrino Atom processor technology brand represents Intel's best technology for MIDs. Formerly codenamed "Menlow," Intel Centrino Atom processor technology includes the Intel Atom processor, a low-power companion chip with integrated graphics, a wireless radio, and thinner and lighter designs. Together, these components are designed to enable the best mobile computing and Internet experience on these new devices.
Intel Lowers First-Quarter Gross Margin Forecast Due to Lower NAND Flash Memory Prices
SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 3, 2008 -- Intel Corporation today lowered its first-quarter gross margin forecast to 54 percent, plus or minus a point, as compared to the previous forecast of 56 percent, plus or minus a couple of points, due to lower than expected prices for NAND flash memory chips. All other expectations are consistent with the first quarter Business Outlook published in the company's fourth quarter 2007 earnings release, available at www.intc.com.
Status of Business OutlookDuring the quarter, Intel's corporate representatives may reiterate the Business Outlook during private meetings with investors, investment analysts, the media and others. From the close of business on March 7 until publication of the company's first-quarter 2008 earnings release, Intel will observe a "Quiet Period" during which the Business Outlook disclosed in the company's press releases and filings with the SEC should be considered to be historical, speaking as of prior to the Quiet Period only and not subject to an update by the company.
Risk FactorsThe above statements and any others in this document that refer to plans and expectations for the first quarter and the future involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause Intel's actual results to differ materially from current expectations, including the following:
Changes in business and economic conditions, including conditions in the credit market that could affect consumer confidence; customer acceptance of Intel's and competitors' products; changes in customer order patterns, including order cancellations; and changes in the level of inventory at customers. Intel's results could be affected by the timing of closing of acquisitions and divestitures.
Intel operates in intensely competitive industries that are characterized by a high percentage of costs that are fixed or difficult to reduce in the short term and product demand that is highly variable and difficult to forecast. Additionally, Intel is in the process of transitioning to its next generation of products on 45nm process technology, and there could be execution issues associated with these changes, including product defects and errata along with lower than anticipated manufacturing yields. Revenue and the gross margin percentage are affected by the timing of new Intel product introductions and the demand for and market acceptance of Intel's products; actions taken by Intel's competitors, including product offerings and introductions, marketing programs and pricing pressures and Intel's response to such actions; Intel's ability to respond quickly to technological developments and to incorporate new features into its products; and the availability of sufficient components from suppliers to meet demand.
The gross margin percentage could vary significantly from expectations based on changes in revenue levels; product mix and pricing; capacity utilization; variations in inventory valuation, including variations related to the timing of qualifying products for sale; excess or obsolete inventory; manufacturing yields; changes in unit costs; impairments of long-lived assets, including manufacturing, assembly/test and intangible assets; and the timing and execution of the manufacturing ramp and associated costs, including start-up costs.
Expenses, particularly certain marketing and compensation expenses, vary depending on the level of demand for Intel's products, the level of revenue and profits, and impairments of long-lived assets.
Intel is in the midst of a structure and efficiency program that is resulting in several actions that could have an impact on expected expense levels and gross margin. Intel is also in the midst of forming Numonyx, a private, independent semiconductor company, together with STMicroelectronics N.V. and Francisco Partners L.P. A change in the financial performance of the contributed businesses could have a negative impact on our financial statements. Intel's equity proportion of the new company's results will be reflected on its financial statements below operating income and with a one quarter lag. The results could have a negative impact on Intel's overall financial results.
The tax rate expectation is based on current tax law and current expected income. The tax rate may be affected by the jurisdictions in which profits are determined to be earned and taxed; changes in the estimates of credits, benefits and deductions; the resolution of issues arising from tax audits with various tax authorities, including payment of interest and penalties; and the ability to realize deferred tax assets.
Gains or losses from equity securities and interest and other could vary from expectations depending on fixed income and equity market volatility; gains or losses realized on the sale or exchange of securities; gains or losses from equity method investments; impairment charges related to marketable, non-marketable and other investments; interest rates; cash balances; and changes in fair value of derivative instruments.
Intel's results could be affected by the amount, type, and valuation of share-based awards granted as well as the amount of awards cancelled due to employee turnover and the timing of award exercises by employees.
Intel's results could be impacted by adverse economic, social, political and physical/infrastructure conditions in the countries in which Intel, its customers or its suppliers operate, including military conflict and other security risks, natural disasters, infrastructure disruptions, health concerns and fluctuations in currency exchange rates.
Intel's results could be affected by adverse effects associated with product defects and errata (deviations from published specifications), and by litigation or regulatory matters involving intellectual property, stockholder, consumer, antitrust and other issues, such as the litigation and regulatory matters described in Intel's SEC reports.
Status of Business OutlookDuring the quarter, Intel's corporate representatives may reiterate the Business Outlook during private meetings with investors, investment analysts, the media and others. From the close of business on March 7 until publication of the company's first-quarter 2008 earnings release, Intel will observe a "Quiet Period" during which the Business Outlook disclosed in the company's press releases and filings with the SEC should be considered to be historical, speaking as of prior to the Quiet Period only and not subject to an update by the company.
Risk FactorsThe above statements and any others in this document that refer to plans and expectations for the first quarter and the future involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause Intel's actual results to differ materially from current expectations, including the following:
Changes in business and economic conditions, including conditions in the credit market that could affect consumer confidence; customer acceptance of Intel's and competitors' products; changes in customer order patterns, including order cancellations; and changes in the level of inventory at customers. Intel's results could be affected by the timing of closing of acquisitions and divestitures.
Intel operates in intensely competitive industries that are characterized by a high percentage of costs that are fixed or difficult to reduce in the short term and product demand that is highly variable and difficult to forecast. Additionally, Intel is in the process of transitioning to its next generation of products on 45nm process technology, and there could be execution issues associated with these changes, including product defects and errata along with lower than anticipated manufacturing yields. Revenue and the gross margin percentage are affected by the timing of new Intel product introductions and the demand for and market acceptance of Intel's products; actions taken by Intel's competitors, including product offerings and introductions, marketing programs and pricing pressures and Intel's response to such actions; Intel's ability to respond quickly to technological developments and to incorporate new features into its products; and the availability of sufficient components from suppliers to meet demand.
The gross margin percentage could vary significantly from expectations based on changes in revenue levels; product mix and pricing; capacity utilization; variations in inventory valuation, including variations related to the timing of qualifying products for sale; excess or obsolete inventory; manufacturing yields; changes in unit costs; impairments of long-lived assets, including manufacturing, assembly/test and intangible assets; and the timing and execution of the manufacturing ramp and associated costs, including start-up costs.
Expenses, particularly certain marketing and compensation expenses, vary depending on the level of demand for Intel's products, the level of revenue and profits, and impairments of long-lived assets.
Intel is in the midst of a structure and efficiency program that is resulting in several actions that could have an impact on expected expense levels and gross margin. Intel is also in the midst of forming Numonyx, a private, independent semiconductor company, together with STMicroelectronics N.V. and Francisco Partners L.P. A change in the financial performance of the contributed businesses could have a negative impact on our financial statements. Intel's equity proportion of the new company's results will be reflected on its financial statements below operating income and with a one quarter lag. The results could have a negative impact on Intel's overall financial results.
The tax rate expectation is based on current tax law and current expected income. The tax rate may be affected by the jurisdictions in which profits are determined to be earned and taxed; changes in the estimates of credits, benefits and deductions; the resolution of issues arising from tax audits with various tax authorities, including payment of interest and penalties; and the ability to realize deferred tax assets.
Gains or losses from equity securities and interest and other could vary from expectations depending on fixed income and equity market volatility; gains or losses realized on the sale or exchange of securities; gains or losses from equity method investments; impairment charges related to marketable, non-marketable and other investments; interest rates; cash balances; and changes in fair value of derivative instruments.
Intel's results could be affected by the amount, type, and valuation of share-based awards granted as well as the amount of awards cancelled due to employee turnover and the timing of award exercises by employees.
Intel's results could be impacted by adverse economic, social, political and physical/infrastructure conditions in the countries in which Intel, its customers or its suppliers operate, including military conflict and other security risks, natural disasters, infrastructure disruptions, health concerns and fluctuations in currency exchange rates.
Intel's results could be affected by adverse effects associated with product defects and errata (deviations from published specifications), and by litigation or regulatory matters involving intellectual property, stockholder, consumer, antitrust and other issues, such as the litigation and regulatory matters described in Intel's SEC reports.
AMD DirectX 10 Compatible 780 Series Motherboard GPU
AMD's deliverance of two 45-nanometer CPUs wasn't the only thing new from the company today, as now we're getting wind of an all new motherboard GPU that's DirectX10 compatible. The AMD 780 Series is hailed as "the industry's most advanced" mobo GPU, and is slated to be "widely available" in a variety of boards in Q2.
Essentially, AMD's hoping the chip will enable casual gamers to join in on the fun without having to fork out big bucks for pricey discrete graphics cards, but for those that eventually do pick up such a device, the ATI Hybrid Graphics technology ensures that the power from both will be harnessed in order to boost overall performance.
Essentially, AMD's hoping the chip will enable casual gamers to join in on the fun without having to fork out big bucks for pricey discrete graphics cards, but for those that eventually do pick up such a device, the ATI Hybrid Graphics technology ensures that the power from both will be harnessed in order to boost overall performance.
AMD expands R&D presence in India
Bangalore, Feb 20 (UNI) AMD, the leading global provider of innovative processing solutions in the computing, graphics and consumer electronics markets, today announced the opening of a new silicon design and platform research and development facility in the city.
Company Chairman and CEO Hector Ruiz who inaugurated the facility highlighted the region's rapidly growing contribution to AMD's Global Silicon and Platform Design Leadership The newly built center comprised of state-of-the-art office space offering a host of modern amenities to improve the overall work experience, he said.
"Our engineering employees in India play a critical role in AMD's global design network, and this new R&D center gives them the world-class equipment and resources they need to excel," he said.
In AMD's quest to become the technology partner of choice for the industry, this facility was vital to help design and deliver industry-leading solutions specifically tailored to the needs of customers in India and worldwide, he said.
Mr. Alok Ohrie, Managing Director, AMD India said, "In a short span of six years in India, AMD has grown its market share significantly and made considerable contributions to global R&D efforts." The R&D teams in Bangalore are playing the lead role on 'Shanghai', AMD's first 45nm quad-core microprocessor, and are currently involved in design testing and optimisation of the new chip.
Prior to their efforts on Shanghai, the teams were responsible for delivering key intellectual property (IP) for the first AMD Quad-Core 'Opteron' microprocessor, previously codenamed 'Barcelona', a company release said today.
Company Chairman and CEO Hector Ruiz who inaugurated the facility highlighted the region's rapidly growing contribution to AMD's Global Silicon and Platform Design Leadership The newly built center comprised of state-of-the-art office space offering a host of modern amenities to improve the overall work experience, he said.
"Our engineering employees in India play a critical role in AMD's global design network, and this new R&D center gives them the world-class equipment and resources they need to excel," he said.
In AMD's quest to become the technology partner of choice for the industry, this facility was vital to help design and deliver industry-leading solutions specifically tailored to the needs of customers in India and worldwide, he said.
Mr. Alok Ohrie, Managing Director, AMD India said, "In a short span of six years in India, AMD has grown its market share significantly and made considerable contributions to global R&D efforts." The R&D teams in Bangalore are playing the lead role on 'Shanghai', AMD's first 45nm quad-core microprocessor, and are currently involved in design testing and optimisation of the new chip.
Prior to their efforts on Shanghai, the teams were responsible for delivering key intellectual property (IP) for the first AMD Quad-Core 'Opteron' microprocessor, previously codenamed 'Barcelona', a company release said today.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Intel launches Core2 Extreme Edition mobile processor
Intel Corporation has released its first Intel Core2 Extreme mobile dual-core processor, which claims to be the the world's highest-performing mobile processor. By announcing the launch of Intel Core2 Extreme mobile dual-core processor, Intel adopts the brand from the flagship desktop offerings. The company is also planning to announce battery-friendly, quad-core processors for laptop computers in 2008.
Mooly Eden, Intel vice president and general manager, Mobile Platforms Group, said, "Laptops are the fastest-growing computing market segment, and there is increasing demand from those who crave the ultimate in video, gaming, and design computing performance yet want the freedom and flexibility that a laptop brings. Due to our innovative technology and design capabilities, we can offer world-class, power-smart performance for the most demanding mobile users, and are proud to offer it under our Intel Core 2 Extreme brand -- a name that has become synonymous with ultimate performance."
Both the cores of the Intel Core 2 Extreme X7800 mobile dual-core processor runs at a speed of 2.6 GHz. The processor also comes well equipped with mobile-specific power-saving features that help Intel's computer-maker customers deliver more energy-efficient and higher-performing designs.
On the technical side, to achieve more capability, the Intel Core 2 Extreme mobile processor bus ratio locks (overspeed protection) have been removed. So, greater technical flexibility in customising systems is achieved. The new grade of processors from Intel offers up to 28% more performance than the previous generation of processors.
Intel has also announced a new set of processors for the desktop computers. Intel Core2 Extreme QX6850 quad-core processor comes with a clock speed of 3.0 GHz, 1333 MHz system bus speed, and is mainly aimed at game developers looking to deliver new features and performance levels. Intel also announced new Intel Core2 Duo and Core2 Quad processors.
Another new processor from Intel, the new Intel Core 2 Extreme X7800 mobile processor is exclusively for the OEMs and has a clock speed of 2.6 GHz with 4 MB of L2 cache. It comes with a price tag of $851. Intel will start shipping the new processors in the next two weeks.
Mooly Eden, Intel vice president and general manager, Mobile Platforms Group, said, "Laptops are the fastest-growing computing market segment, and there is increasing demand from those who crave the ultimate in video, gaming, and design computing performance yet want the freedom and flexibility that a laptop brings. Due to our innovative technology and design capabilities, we can offer world-class, power-smart performance for the most demanding mobile users, and are proud to offer it under our Intel Core 2 Extreme brand -- a name that has become synonymous with ultimate performance."
Both the cores of the Intel Core 2 Extreme X7800 mobile dual-core processor runs at a speed of 2.6 GHz. The processor also comes well equipped with mobile-specific power-saving features that help Intel's computer-maker customers deliver more energy-efficient and higher-performing designs.
On the technical side, to achieve more capability, the Intel Core 2 Extreme mobile processor bus ratio locks (overspeed protection) have been removed. So, greater technical flexibility in customising systems is achieved. The new grade of processors from Intel offers up to 28% more performance than the previous generation of processors.
Intel has also announced a new set of processors for the desktop computers. Intel Core2 Extreme QX6850 quad-core processor comes with a clock speed of 3.0 GHz, 1333 MHz system bus speed, and is mainly aimed at game developers looking to deliver new features and performance levels. Intel also announced new Intel Core2 Duo and Core2 Quad processors.
Another new processor from Intel, the new Intel Core 2 Extreme X7800 mobile processor is exclusively for the OEMs and has a clock speed of 2.6 GHz with 4 MB of L2 cache. It comes with a price tag of $851. Intel will start shipping the new processors in the next two weeks.
Intel Sees 2008 As Breakout Year For WiMax
Intel's carrier partners Sprint Nextel and Clearwire plan to offer the technology as a wireless broadband alternative to the 3G cellular networks.
By Antone Gonsalves, InformationWeek, Aug 1, 2007 1630 hrsIntel and its partners are preparing to make a major push in 2008 for WiMax in the United States, hoping to eventually make the wireless broadband technology as popular as Wi-Fi is today.
Next year is when many of the pieces needed to kickoff adoption are expected to fall into place: WiMax-supported Intel processors, notebooks and devices from manufacturers, and broadband networks from two wireless carriers, Sriram Viswanathan, VP and general manager of Intel's WiMax Program Office, told InformationWeek.
WiMax, or World Interoperability For Microwave Access, is a wireless broadband standard that's designed to extend Wi-Fi networks across greater distances, such as a campus or sections of metropolitan areas. The 802.16 standard is theoretically capable of transmitting data up to 70Mbits per second as far as 37 miles.
Intel's carrier partners Sprint Nextel(S) and Clearwire plan to offer the technology as a wireless broadband alternative to the 3G cellular networks offered by rivals such as AT&T and Verizon. Sprint and Clearwire are working together in rolling out a nationwide network that's expected to offer average data speeds of between 2Mbps and 4Mbps to 100 million people in the United States by the end of 2008. Much of the coverage will be in metropolitan areas.
For its part, Intel plans to ship in the second half of next year Montevina, the codename for its next-generation notebook processor technology that will support Wi-Fi and WiMax. PC manufacturers are expected to start announcing products containing the new technology four to six months before the Intel launch, Viswanathan said.
Intel and partners are banking that consumers and businesses will be willing to pay more for WiMax than current DSL or cable broadband because it will give them an always-on connection within the coverage area. In addition, download speeds are expected to be multiples faster than 3G networks offered by wireless carriers, and consumers can connect to the network on any WiMax-supported device. U.S. cellular networks are closed systems in which carriers control the types of devices that can be used to access the service.
"I would contend that there's a large segment of the consumer population that would pay north of $50 a month for that capability," Viswanathan said.
Intel sees WiMax as opening up new markets and widening current ones. It expects to sell its WiMax technology for use in current notebooks and handheld computers, as well as for devices still on the drawing boards. In addition, the company believes providers of Web services, such as Google and Yahoo, could one day offer devices at a subsidized price in return for a multi-year service contract, much like wireless carriers do with mobile phones today.
"To us, this is a very important thing because it gives Intel the opportunity to grow its business in a very substantial way," Viswanathan said.
On Tuesday, U.S. regulators approved a set of ground-rules for next year's auction of valuable wireless airwaves that a buyer could choose to use for WiMax. But what Intel found interesting was the Federal Communications Commission's decision to require the winner of the 700 MHz spectrum to make the airwaves accessible to any phone, device or software.
"These are core principles that WiMax stands for," Viswanathan said. "This is great news for the industry, because it supports a truly open-access mechanism for any device, application or service."
By Antone Gonsalves, InformationWeek, Aug 1, 2007 1630 hrsIntel and its partners are preparing to make a major push in 2008 for WiMax in the United States, hoping to eventually make the wireless broadband technology as popular as Wi-Fi is today.
Next year is when many of the pieces needed to kickoff adoption are expected to fall into place: WiMax-supported Intel processors, notebooks and devices from manufacturers, and broadband networks from two wireless carriers, Sriram Viswanathan, VP and general manager of Intel's WiMax Program Office, told InformationWeek.
WiMax, or World Interoperability For Microwave Access, is a wireless broadband standard that's designed to extend Wi-Fi networks across greater distances, such as a campus or sections of metropolitan areas. The 802.16 standard is theoretically capable of transmitting data up to 70Mbits per second as far as 37 miles.
Intel's carrier partners Sprint Nextel(S) and Clearwire plan to offer the technology as a wireless broadband alternative to the 3G cellular networks offered by rivals such as AT&T and Verizon. Sprint and Clearwire are working together in rolling out a nationwide network that's expected to offer average data speeds of between 2Mbps and 4Mbps to 100 million people in the United States by the end of 2008. Much of the coverage will be in metropolitan areas.
For its part, Intel plans to ship in the second half of next year Montevina, the codename for its next-generation notebook processor technology that will support Wi-Fi and WiMax. PC manufacturers are expected to start announcing products containing the new technology four to six months before the Intel launch, Viswanathan said.
Intel and partners are banking that consumers and businesses will be willing to pay more for WiMax than current DSL or cable broadband because it will give them an always-on connection within the coverage area. In addition, download speeds are expected to be multiples faster than 3G networks offered by wireless carriers, and consumers can connect to the network on any WiMax-supported device. U.S. cellular networks are closed systems in which carriers control the types of devices that can be used to access the service.
"I would contend that there's a large segment of the consumer population that would pay north of $50 a month for that capability," Viswanathan said.
Intel sees WiMax as opening up new markets and widening current ones. It expects to sell its WiMax technology for use in current notebooks and handheld computers, as well as for devices still on the drawing boards. In addition, the company believes providers of Web services, such as Google and Yahoo, could one day offer devices at a subsidized price in return for a multi-year service contract, much like wireless carriers do with mobile phones today.
"To us, this is a very important thing because it gives Intel the opportunity to grow its business in a very substantial way," Viswanathan said.
On Tuesday, U.S. regulators approved a set of ground-rules for next year's auction of valuable wireless airwaves that a buyer could choose to use for WiMax. But what Intel found interesting was the Federal Communications Commission's decision to require the winner of the 700 MHz spectrum to make the airwaves accessible to any phone, device or software.
"These are core principles that WiMax stands for," Viswanathan said. "This is great news for the industry, because it supports a truly open-access mechanism for any device, application or service."
Monday, March 10, 2008
Intel 65nm-to-45nm crossover coming in 2008
Intel expects to begin shipping more 45nm processors than 65nm chips - the so-called 'crossover point' - in 2008, a company staffer revealed this week.
According to Rob Willoner, an analyst with Intel's technology and manufacturing group, cited by DigiTimes, Intel's D1D fab in Oregon will be the first to begin volume production of 45nm CPUs.
That's due to take place late 2007, according to Intel's past comments on its roll-out schedule. Earlier this week, the company revealed it has begun sampling 'Penryn', the 45nm incarnation of the Core 2 processor architecture, currently shipping in 65nm product. Those samples will be coming out of D1D's developmental 45nm production line.
Penryn will also extend the Core 2 architecture - it's expected to play host to the fourth set of Intel's Streaming SIMD Extensions (SSE), a further 48 instructions designed to improve the processor's ability to handle multimedia applications. Penryn will also introduce two further instructions dubbed by Intel "application-targeted accelerators".
Far Eastern industry sources have claimed the shift to 45nm will see a jump to clock frequencies of more than 3GHz, something both Intel and AMD have avoided during the current generation of dual-core CPUs and the coming quad-core chips, preferring to avoid the heat and power consumption problems of higher clock speeds in order to promote the benefits of multi-core computing.
Presumably, both companies hope the move to 45nm will allow them to raise clock frequencies without inflating their processors' thermal envelopes.
According to Rob Willoner, an analyst with Intel's technology and manufacturing group, cited by DigiTimes, Intel's D1D fab in Oregon will be the first to begin volume production of 45nm CPUs.
That's due to take place late 2007, according to Intel's past comments on its roll-out schedule. Earlier this week, the company revealed it has begun sampling 'Penryn', the 45nm incarnation of the Core 2 processor architecture, currently shipping in 65nm product. Those samples will be coming out of D1D's developmental 45nm production line.
Penryn will also extend the Core 2 architecture - it's expected to play host to the fourth set of Intel's Streaming SIMD Extensions (SSE), a further 48 instructions designed to improve the processor's ability to handle multimedia applications. Penryn will also introduce two further instructions dubbed by Intel "application-targeted accelerators".
Far Eastern industry sources have claimed the shift to 45nm will see a jump to clock frequencies of more than 3GHz, something both Intel and AMD have avoided during the current generation of dual-core CPUs and the coming quad-core chips, preferring to avoid the heat and power consumption problems of higher clock speeds in order to promote the benefits of multi-core computing.
Presumably, both companies hope the move to 45nm will allow them to raise clock frequencies without inflating their processors' thermal envelopes.
Intel® Multi-core technology
The leap from single-core to multi-core technology has permanently altered the course of computing as we know it, enabling increased productivity, powerful energy-efficient performance, and leading-edge advanced computing experiences.
Central to our technology roadmap, Intel® multi-core processors efficiently process multiple tasks simultaneously, providing a breakthrough computing experience in business environments, on the go, and at home. Intel® quad-core processors based on Intel® Core™ microarchitecture lead the way as our engineers continue the revolution to next-generation multi-core processors that enable even greater computing experiences.
Hafnium-based Intel® 45nm Process Technology
Two words: relentless innovation. Using dramatically new materia
ls including hafnium-basedAnd what is hafnium? Hafnium (Hf) is a chemical element on the periodic table. It’s silver-gray in color, highly ductile, corrosion resistant, and is chemically most similar to zirconium. Intel engineers discovered that introducing hafnium into silicon chips helps reduce electrical leakage enabling smaller, more energy-efficient and performance-packed processors. circuitry, new Intel® 45nm high-k metal gate silicon technology helps to dramatically increase processor energy efficiency and performance for an unprecedented computing experience.
ls including hafnium-basedAnd what is hafnium? Hafnium (Hf) is a chemical element on the periodic table. It’s silver-gray in color, highly ductile, corrosion resistant, and is chemically most similar to zirconium. Intel engineers discovered that introducing hafnium into silicon chips helps reduce electrical leakage enabling smaller, more energy-efficient and performance-packed processors. circuitry, new Intel® 45nm high-k metal gate silicon technology helps to dramatically increase processor energy efficiency and performance for an unprecedented computing experience.With this breakthrough transistor technology, Intel is manufacturing serious advantage into every hafnium-based Intel 45nm high-k chip.
These revolutionary new processors empower a more enjoyable computing experience for your gaming, multimedia and multitasking, at work, at home, and at play.
Sun workstation takes Intel quad-core to the races
The workstation market isn’t what it used to be. Back in the day, the term “workstation” denoted a very (and I mean very) high-powered desktop system with a very high-powered video card. In most circles, if it had an Intel processor it was a “desktop,” and if it had a Sparc processor it was a “workstation,” and never the twain shall meet. Well, the twain have met, and it’s a happy union.
Since Sun’s announcement that it would begin using Intel chips in its product line, an Intel-powered Sun workstation has been a foregone conclusion. The only questions pertained to which chipset and what options would be available. Those questions have been answered -- at least for now -- with the introduction of the Sun Ultra 24 Workstation. Sun’s workstation line now contains entries from every major CPU food group: Intel, Sparc, and the AMD Opteron. The latter two categories include two systems each: a single-socket and a dual-socket model. The Intel class includes only the single-socket Ultra 24 for now, but it’s highly likely that a dual-socket system will be introduced at a later date.
All together, it's one of the biggest leaps for processors in decades.
So, like those sunflowers, Intel is making the environment a little bit better as our technology brightens peoples' days. It's just one part of Intel's ongoing commitment to reducing our footprint on the environment we all share.
While Intel and the technology industry still have a lot of work to do for the environment, we want to share the advances in our new products.
Best of all, you can help us celebrate this achievement by simply visiting our virtual sunflower field. For every virtual sunflower seed you plant, Intel will make a $1 donation to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America in honor of American Education Week (up to $45,000), helping to create a better environment for children to learn and grow. It's as easy as a few clicks, visit sunflowers.intel.com.
Under the hood:
I’ve had the pleasure of working with the Ultra 24 for the past week or so, and I’ve found it to be a very capable, high-end workstation, even with the midrange nVidia FX1700 graphics card. The mainboard is based on Intel’s Garlow uniprocessor platform, and can handle dual- and quad-core Core 2 chips and as much as 8GB of UDDR2-667 RAM. Plus, it’s outfitted with two x16 PCIe 2.0 slots, one x4 PCIe 1.1 slot, one x1 PCIe slot, and two 33MHz standard PCI slots. Rather than skimping on the slots to allow space for embedded graphics and dual NICs, Sun has opted to go the other way, offering more expansion. Losing the embedded graphics is a good thing, but the system could definitely benefit from a pair of gigabit NICs.
On the I/O side, the embedded SATA controller can handle as many as four internal hot-swap SATA drives, or the same cage can be used with an optional SAS RAID controller to handle the faster SAS drives. When I tried some hot swaps, I did find the cage a little sticky. A nice feature is the full 5.25-inch drive bay at the top of the case. The Ultra 24’s counterpart on the AMD side is the Ultra 20 M2, which shares the same form factor and sports a single AMD Opteron CPU. The open bay design of both workstations makes it far simpler to replace the optical drive. Higher-end workstations from Sun use enclosed front-loading optical drives that are sleek, but can be problematic to replace. That said, the SATA dual-layer DVD/CD writer included in the Ultra 24 is no slouch.
My evaluation unit came with an Intel Core 2 Extreme Q6850 3.0GHz quad-core CPU, 8GB of RAM, four 250GB SATA drives, and the nVidia FX1700 graphics card -- essentially the top-end CPU and midrange options package for this system. To push it further, the high-end nVidia graphics cards are supported, such as the FX4600 and FX5600.
Since Sun’s announcement that it would begin using Intel chips in its product line, an Intel-powered Sun workstation has been a foregone conclusion. The only questions pertained to which chipset and what options would be available. Those questions have been answered -- at least for now -- with the introduction of the Sun Ultra 24 Workstation. Sun’s workstation line now contains entries from every major CPU food group: Intel, Sparc, and the AMD Opteron. The latter two categories include two systems each: a single-socket and a dual-socket model. The Intel class includes only the single-socket Ultra 24 for now, but it’s highly likely that a dual-socket system will be introduced at a later date.
All together, it's one of the biggest leaps for processors in decades.
So, like those sunflowers, Intel is making the environment a little bit better as our technology brightens peoples' days. It's just one part of Intel's ongoing commitment to reducing our footprint on the environment we all share.
While Intel and the technology industry still have a lot of work to do for the environment, we want to share the advances in our new products.
Best of all, you can help us celebrate this achievement by simply visiting our virtual sunflower field. For every virtual sunflower seed you plant, Intel will make a $1 donation to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America in honor of American Education Week (up to $45,000), helping to create a better environment for children to learn and grow. It's as easy as a few clicks, visit sunflowers.intel.com.
Under the hood:
I’ve had the pleasure of working with the Ultra 24 for the past week or so, and I’ve found it to be a very capable, high-end workstation, even with the midrange nVidia FX1700 graphics card. The mainboard is based on Intel’s Garlow uniprocessor platform, and can handle dual- and quad-core Core 2 chips and as much as 8GB of UDDR2-667 RAM. Plus, it’s outfitted with two x16 PCIe 2.0 slots, one x4 PCIe 1.1 slot, one x1 PCIe slot, and two 33MHz standard PCI slots. Rather than skimping on the slots to allow space for embedded graphics and dual NICs, Sun has opted to go the other way, offering more expansion. Losing the embedded graphics is a good thing, but the system could definitely benefit from a pair of gigabit NICs.
On the I/O side, the embedded SATA controller can handle as many as four internal hot-swap SATA drives, or the same cage can be used with an optional SAS RAID controller to handle the faster SAS drives. When I tried some hot swaps, I did find the cage a little sticky. A nice feature is the full 5.25-inch drive bay at the top of the case. The Ultra 24’s counterpart on the AMD side is the Ultra 20 M2, which shares the same form factor and sports a single AMD Opteron CPU. The open bay design of both workstations makes it far simpler to replace the optical drive. Higher-end workstations from Sun use enclosed front-loading optical drives that are sleek, but can be problematic to replace. That said, the SATA dual-layer DVD/CD writer included in the Ultra 24 is no slouch.
My evaluation unit came with an Intel Core 2 Extreme Q6850 3.0GHz quad-core CPU, 8GB of RAM, four 250GB SATA drives, and the nVidia FX1700 graphics card -- essentially the top-end CPU and midrange options package for this system. To push it further, the high-end nVidia graphics cards are supported, such as the FX4600 and FX5600.
Beyond Quad-Core: Tera-Scale Computing
Spurred by increasing globalization, growing device intelligence,and the explosion of digital data, Intel believes the next decade’sapplications will be much more computationally intensive thananything we’ve seen to date. This will be the “tera era”—an agewhen people need teraflops (a trillion floating point operations persecond) of computing power, terabits (a trillion bits per second ofcommunications bandwidth), and terabytes (1,024 gigabytes) ofdata storage to handle the information all around them.
Intel® Core™ Microarchitecture
Intel® Core™ microarchitecture is the foundationfor new Intel® architecture-based desktop, mobileand mainstream server multi-core processors. Thisstate-of-the-art, multi-core optimized microarchitecturedelivers a number of new and innovative featuresthat have set new standards for energy-efficientperformance. Two of these features acceleratethe execution of memory-related instructions.
Intel® Advanced Smart Cache
Intel® Advanced Smart Cache is multi-core optimizedcache that improves performance and efficiencyby increasing the probability that each core of amulti-core processor can access data from a higherperformance,more-efficient cache subsystem. IntelAdvanced Smart Cache works by sharing the Level2 (L2) cache among cores so that data is stored inone place that each core can access. Sharing L2cache enables each core to dynamically use up to100 percent of available L2 cache, thus optimizingcache resources.
Intel® Smart Memory Access
Intel® Smart Memory Access improves systemperformance by optimizing available data bandwidthfrom the memory subsystem and hiding the latencyof memory accesses through two techniques: a newcapability called memory disambiguation, and aninstruction pointer-based prefetcher that fetchesmemory contents before they are requested.
The Race is On
Intel plans to ship millions of multi-core processorsin 2006 and expects to exit the year shipping dualcoreand quad-core processors at a rate of morethan 75 percent for its performance and mainstreamdesktop, 90 percent for its performance mobileprocessor families, and 85 percent for its servers.Intel expects to exit 2007 shipping multi-coreprocessors at a rate of 90 percent for its performancedesktop and mobile families and close to 100percent for its servers.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Introducing Intel® Quad-Core Technology
The next milestone in multi-core processor design and performancewill be Intel’s unveiling of the industry’s first quad-core processors fordesktops, workstations and volume servers. Intel is the only companywith the manufacturing resources to take this next step so quickly.Intel’s implementation of quad-core takes advantage of our rich historyof engineering expertise, along with our industry-leading manufacturingtechnologies and capabilities. This translates into excellent volumepricing and consistent supply. The industry will be able to make afast transition as well—these quad-core processors are designed toplug into current motherboards meeting the proper thermal andelectrical specifications.
Intel Achievements in Dual-Core Processing
Intel first implemented multi-core processing through dual-coreprocessors across all key sectors (desktop, workstation, mobile, andmainstream server). In accordance with our new cadence for processtechnology and microarchitecture, Intel’s second generation of dualcoreprocessors, released in the third quarter of 2006, uses the newIntel Core microarchitecture. These products include Intel® Core™2Duo desktop and mobile processors, and Dual-Core Intel® Xeon® 5100processor 5100 series for dual-processor servers. By transitioningthe majority of our volume products to Intel Core microarchitecturebaseddual-core processors, Intel took the lead in performanceand energy efficiency in most of these product segments.According to benchmark tests:
• The Dual-Core Intel Xeon 5100 server processor deliversup to 135 percent performance improvements2 and up to a40 percent reduction3 in energy consumption over previousIntel server products.
• The Intel Core 2 Duo desktop processor delivers up to a 40percent improvement in performance and up to a 40 percentreduction in power as compared to today's high-end Intel®Pentium® D processor 960.4
• The Intel Core 2 Duo mobile processor delivers greaterthan 2X CPU performance5 and up to a 28 percent powerreduction6 with new Intel® Centrino® Duo mobile technologylaptops based on the Intel Core 2 Duo processor as comparedto previous-generation Intel® Centrino® mobile technologybasedlaptops.
• The Dual-Core Intel Xeon 5100 server processor deliversup to 135 percent performance improvements2 and up to a40 percent reduction3 in energy consumption over previousIntel server products.
• The Intel Core 2 Duo desktop processor delivers up to a 40percent improvement in performance and up to a 40 percentreduction in power as compared to today's high-end Intel®Pentium® D processor 960.4
• The Intel Core 2 Duo mobile processor delivers greaterthan 2X CPU performance5 and up to a 28 percent powerreduction6 with new Intel® Centrino® Duo mobile technologylaptops based on the Intel Core 2 Duo processor as comparedto previous-generation Intel® Centrino® mobile technologybasedlaptops.
A New Cadence for Technological Advancement
Building on the foundation of Intel Coremicroarchitecture (introduced in 2006), Intel isestablishing a new cadence that will speed up thedelivery of products featuring superior performanceand energy-efficiency for years to come. Intel plansto deliver a new, optimized energy-efficient performancemicroarchitecture approximately every twoyears that supports all its process technologyadvancements. For instance, in late 2007, Intelprocess technology will transition to 45 nm andeffectively double the number of transistors in agiven die size. In 2008 Intel will follow this gain witha new microarchitecture codenamed “Nehalem”expected to deliver new capabilities and severalpercentage-point improvements in performanceand energy-efficiency. This cycle will then moveon to 32 nm and another new microarchitecturetargeted for 2010.
This fundamental relationship between power and frequencycan be effectively used to multiply the number of cores fromtwo to four, and then eightand more, to deliver continuousincreases in performance without increasing power usage.To do this though, there are many advancements that mustbe made that are only achievable by a company like Intel.These include:
• Continuous advances in silicon process technology from65 nm to 45 nm and to 32 nm) to increase transistor density.In addition, Intel is committed to continuing to deliver superiorenergy-efficient performance transistors.
• Enhancing the performance of each core and optimizingit for multi-core through the introduction of new advancedmicroarchitectures about every two years.
• Improving the memory subsystem and optimizing dataaccess in ways that ensure data can be used as fast aspossible among all cores. This minimizes latency andimproves efficiency and speed.• Optimizing the interconnect fabric that connects the coresto improve performance between cores and memory units.
• Optimizing and expanding the instruction set toenhance the capabilities of Intel® architecture and enablethe industry to deliver advanced applications with greaterperformance and lower power requirements. Some of theseinstructions can effectively dedicate a core to deliverspecific capabilities.
• Continuing to grow Intel’s commitment to developingmulti-core software tools and programs by workingclosely with developers, independent software vendors(ISVs), operating system vendors (OSVs) and academia.Through these efforts, Intel enables the industry todevelop software that runs faster and better on ourenergy-efficient performance multi-core platforms.
This fundamental relationship between power and frequencycan be effectively used to multiply the number of cores fromtwo to four, and then eightand more, to deliver continuousincreases in performance without increasing power usage.To do this though, there are many advancements that mustbe made that are only achievable by a company like Intel.These include:
• Continuous advances in silicon process technology from65 nm to 45 nm and to 32 nm) to increase transistor density.In addition, Intel is committed to continuing to deliver superiorenergy-efficient performance transistors.
• Enhancing the performance of each core and optimizingit for multi-core through the introduction of new advancedmicroarchitectures about every two years.
• Improving the memory subsystem and optimizing dataaccess in ways that ensure data can be used as fast aspossible among all cores. This minimizes latency andimproves efficiency and speed.• Optimizing the interconnect fabric that connects the coresto improve performance between cores and memory units.
• Optimizing and expanding the instruction set toenhance the capabilities of Intel® architecture and enablethe industry to deliver advanced applications with greaterperformance and lower power requirements. Some of theseinstructions can effectively dedicate a core to deliverspecific capabilities.
• Continuing to grow Intel’s commitment to developingmulti-core software tools and programs by workingclosely with developers, independent software vendors(ISVs), operating system vendors (OSVs) and academia.Through these efforts, Intel enables the industry todevelop software that runs faster and better on ourenergy-efficient performance multi-core platforms.
Extending the World’s Most Popular Processor Architecture with New Instructions
From the original Intel® 8086 to the recent additionof Supplemental Streaming SIMD Extensions 3(Supplemental SSE3) found in Intel® Core™2 Duoprocessors, Intel has led the charge in expandingthe capabilities of the world’s most popular andbroadly used computer architecture—Intel® architecture.Intel will soon add new instructions enabling ourmicroprocessors across all volume market segmentsto deliver even greater performance and energyefficiency to a broad range of 32-bit and64-bit applications.
Best Energy-Efficient Performance Processor Transistors in Volume
• Intel Second Generation Strained SiliconTechnology increases transistor performance10 to 15 percent without increasing leakage.
• Compared to 90 nm transistor technology, Intel’senhanced energy-efficient performance 65 nmtransistors provide over 20% improvement intransistor switching speed and over 30%reduction in transistor switching power
• We announced and demonstrated 45 nm processtechnology first. We are on track to deliver 45 nmproducts in 2007.
• Compared to 90 nm transistor technology, Intel’senhanced energy-efficient performance 65 nmtransistors provide over 20% improvement intransistor switching speed and over 30%reduction in transistor switching power
• We announced and demonstrated 45 nm processtechnology first. We are on track to deliver 45 nmproducts in 2007.
A Fundamental Theorem of Multi-Core Processors
Multi-core processors take advantage of a fundamentalrelationship between power and frequency. By incorporatingmultiple cores, each core is able to run at a lower frequency,dividing among them the power normally given to a singlecore. The result is a big performance increase over a singlecoreprocessor. The following illustration—based on our labexperiments with commonly used workloads—illustratesthis key advantage.
AMD Athlon FX-60's Dual-Core Assault
Intel's recent introduction of the Pentium Extreme Edition 955 has boosted Intel's reputation in the marketplace. This is due, in part, to the chip giant's new 65 nm process, which has helped to set a new performance threshold. However, Intel has only had a few days to bask in its glory: AMD's dual-core Athlon 64 FX-60, which is also AMD's last Socket 939 device, bests almost all of Intel's performance superlative claims, according to our benchmarks. The Athlon 64 FX-60 features include the integration of two processor cores into a single die, each of which has a 1 MB L2-cache, and a 2.6 GHz clock speed.
An added bonus for owners of decent socket 939 motherboards is that the Athlon 64 FX-60 represents a relatively straight-forward upgrade option. After replacing existing single-core chips, updating the motherboard's BIOS is all that is required. Adding an FX-60 (or a dual core Athlon 64 X2) can almost double the socket 939 CPU's performance.
Meanwhile, today also marks an interesting point in the Intel vs. AMD x86 performance war. Indeed, in many respects, the respective roles of the two CPU giants have been reversed. Instead of AMD, it is now Intel that is providing copious information about its future products, while updates from AMD have become increasingly rare.
Information about AMD's M2 platform launch that is slated for the second quarter, for example, is only available unofficially from motherboard vendors. Most of what we know is that the M2 platform is a 940 pin socket that is incompatible with Opteron platforms. The dual-channel memory controller will be upgraded to support DDR2-667. AMD's virtualization technology, called Pacifica, as well as the security instruction set Presidio will be added. The processor portfolio will be very complete, and per-unit prices will range from $100 to $ 1,000. What's still unknown is whether they will all be 65 nm parts and what their clock speeds will be.
An added bonus for owners of decent socket 939 motherboards is that the Athlon 64 FX-60 represents a relatively straight-forward upgrade option. After replacing existing single-core chips, updating the motherboard's BIOS is all that is required. Adding an FX-60 (or a dual core Athlon 64 X2) can almost double the socket 939 CPU's performance.
Meanwhile, today also marks an interesting point in the Intel vs. AMD x86 performance war. Indeed, in many respects, the respective roles of the two CPU giants have been reversed. Instead of AMD, it is now Intel that is providing copious information about its future products, while updates from AMD have become increasingly rare.
Information about AMD's M2 platform launch that is slated for the second quarter, for example, is only available unofficially from motherboard vendors. Most of what we know is that the M2 platform is a 940 pin socket that is incompatible with Opteron platforms. The dual-channel memory controller will be upgraded to support DDR2-667. AMD's virtualization technology, called Pacifica, as well as the security instruction set Presidio will be added. The processor portfolio will be very complete, and per-unit prices will range from $100 to $ 1,000. What's still unknown is whether they will all be 65 nm parts and what their clock speeds will be.
AMD's FX Series
The Athlon 64 FX is the most powerful device in the AMD64 processor family - and its $1,000 per-unit cost also makes it the most expensive. In consideration of the price, customers get a slightly higher clock speed and the option to overclock the processor with the device's free multiplier selection capability. However, given the price, we only recommend investing in the device when maximum CPU power is required for very high-end - and almost always professional - computationally-intensive tasks.
AMD initially made only one FX model available. The Athlon 64 FX-51 (2.2 GHz) was the first version, but it was only available for Socket 940. Athlon 64 FX-53 (2.4 GHz) followed with the introduction of the Socket 939 platform, and it was replaced by the FX-55 (2.6 GHz). However, it was not phased out when the 2.8 GHz Athlon 64 FX-57 was released. According to AMD, demand existed for two different FX versions.
We assume that the FX-57 will still be around for some time following the introduction of the FX-60, since its clock speed makes it the fastest single-thread processor available from AMD. Also, some applications run marginally slower on dual-core processors compared to their single-core counterparts with the same clock speed (we found a 3.3% difference with WinRAR, for example). Yet this advantage will be short lived as more applications make use of thread-optimized multiple processing cores.
So why has AMD waited so long before launching a dual-core FX? AMD claims that the market was not ready, demonstrated by the lack of applications that could benefit from a second-processor core. However, AMD really believes that a dual-core FX premium processor should not be considerably slower than a single-core device, even in single-threaded environments. For AMD, it would be unacceptable for any dual-core device to run more slowly than a single-core CPU.
AMD initially made only one FX model available. The Athlon 64 FX-51 (2.2 GHz) was the first version, but it was only available for Socket 940. Athlon 64 FX-53 (2.4 GHz) followed with the introduction of the Socket 939 platform, and it was replaced by the FX-55 (2.6 GHz). However, it was not phased out when the 2.8 GHz Athlon 64 FX-57 was released. According to AMD, demand existed for two different FX versions.
We assume that the FX-57 will still be around for some time following the introduction of the FX-60, since its clock speed makes it the fastest single-thread processor available from AMD. Also, some applications run marginally slower on dual-core processors compared to their single-core counterparts with the same clock speed (we found a 3.3% difference with WinRAR, for example). Yet this advantage will be short lived as more applications make use of thread-optimized multiple processing cores.
So why has AMD waited so long before launching a dual-core FX? AMD claims that the market was not ready, demonstrated by the lack of applications that could benefit from a second-processor core. However, AMD really believes that a dual-core FX premium processor should not be considerably slower than a single-core device, even in single-threaded environments. For AMD, it would be unacceptable for any dual-core device to run more slowly than a single-core CPU.
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