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Intel has developed an updated technology that could virtually solve questions of memory speed, the semiconductor firm has revealed at its recent Research@Intel event. Developers at the company have created dynamic RAM that behaves like typical system memory but needs just two transistors for each memory cell and which needs no capacitors. The invention makes dynamic RAM small enough that it can be embedded in a processor rather than put into a separate module, potentially eliminating several bottlenecks inherent to the static RAM used for cache on current processors.
A processor that complements or replaces existing cache would have much more on-chip bandwidth than any current processor and would be tied to clock speed, according to Intel. Where a 45-nanometer, quad-core Xeon currently has some of the fastest bandwidth available at between 18 to 20 gigabytes per second, a basic 2GHz processor made on an older 65-nanometer process could shuttle data at 128 gigabytes per second. Dynamic RAM also promises more storage in the same space and a lower price that could translate to the processors themselves.

The advancement could effectively overhaul Intel's approach to its chip designs as well that of programmers. Very fast memory access is considered critical to future many-core processors and may be necessary for the production equivalent of Intel's 80-core Teraflops Research Chip; developers writing for this and related processors may also depend on always having guaranteed access to cache, which would be virtually guaranteed with the cache becoming faster along with processors.

Intel hasn't said when or if it first expects to implement its two-transistor dynamic RAM into future chips, though mainstream processors with eight to 16 cores are due within the next few years.

Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) on Wednesday introduced its two-year product road map for servers and workstations, saying it would release its first six-core chip next year and a 12-core processor on a new platform in the first half of 2010...

AMD is on target to ship its first 45-nm server chip, code-named Shanghai, in the latter part of this year, which would be about a year after Intel shipped its first products using the next-generation manufacturing process that makes it possible to shrink transistor size. Shanghai will be a four-core processor that delivers 25% better performance than the company's current 65-nm quad-core Opteron, formerly known as Barcelona. Shanghai also will ship under the Opteron brand.
Shanghai will use up to 20% less power during idle time than Barcelona and have 6 MB of L3 cache, which is twice the overall cache of its predecessor. In addition, Shanghai's support of DDR2-800 memory translates into a 10% boost in bandwidth.

Microsoft confirmed today that the final version of Windows XP Service Pack 3 has been released to PC manufacturers right on schedule. The update will be available to end users to download next Tuesday, April 29, and pushed to Windows Update in June. A post on Microsoft's TechNet developer site confirmed the release.

Microsoft gave us an early look at the update as a 580MB disk image. What we saw is barely changed from our preview of an early beta of SP3, and seeing Windows XP SP3 for the first time is highly unremarkable.

Far from being a new operating system, Windows XP SP3 is really an accumulation of updates for compatibility, security, and performance. It doesn't contain new features found in Vista, aside from Network Access Protection (NAP), which lets XP systems work with Windows Server 2008's ability to enforce system health requirements before allowing access to network assets. In addition to that feature, the only actually new ones are "Black Hole" Router Detection, more description in the Security Options control panel, kernel-level support for FIPS 140-1 Level 1 compliant cryptography, and a new Product Activation system that allows installation without immediately requiring a product key.

More at the link ...

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.

Sixteen Eco-Friendly, Faster and 'Cooler' Chips Incorporate 45nm Hafnium-Based High-k Metal Gate Transistors

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Nov. 11, 2007 – Built using an entirely new transistor formula that alleviates the wasteful electricity leaks that threaten the pace of future computer innovation, Intel Corporation today unveiled 16 server and high-end PC processors. In addition to increasing computer performance and saving energy use, these processors also eliminate eco-unfriendly lead and, in 2008, halogen materials.

Called the biggest transistor advancements in 40 years by Intel Co-Founder Gordon Moore, the processors are the first to use Intel's Hafnium-based high-k metal gate (Hi-k) formula for the hundreds of millions of transistors inside these processors. These Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme and Xeon® processors are also the first to be manufactured on the company's 45-nanometer (nm) manufacturing process, further boosting performance and lowering power consumption.

Combining these two advancements with new processor features enables Intel to continue delivering faster and more energy-efficient processors that are better for the environment. The breakthroughs clear the path for Intel to design products that are 25 percent smaller than previous versions and, thus, more cost-effective, as well as the ability next year to pursue new ultra mobile and consumer electronics "system on chip" opportunities.

In its ongoing battle with rival Intel, AMD announced the latest round of desktop CPU price cuts today. According to the list the company shared with us this morning, the price cuts mean that all of the company's dual-core Athlon 64 X2 processors will be priced at less than $200, with the top-end Athlon 64 X2 6000+ now selling for $178. The two low-end models in AMD's dual-core line, the Athlon X2 3600+ and 3800+, have been dropped, making the Athlon X2 4000+ the new entry-level dual-core model at $73.

In the high-end Athlon 64 FX line, strangely both the FX-72 and FX-74 now sell for the same price of $599 a pair. AMD's single-core Athlon 64 chips now range in price from $48 (Athlon 64 3200+) to $78 (Athlon 64 4000+). The budget Sempron line now starts at $31 for the Sempron 3200+ chip and goes up to $53 for the Sempron 3800+. It's hard to see how there's room for single-core processors when prices for nearly half of AMD's dual-core Athlon 64 X2 chips have crept well below the $100 mark.

Prices for AMD's mobile chips remain unchanged.

For its part, Intel is expected to cut prices on July 22 for its quad-core desktop and server chips prior to AMD's Barcelona introduction in August. 'Round and 'round we go.

Ants and beetles have exoskeletons--and chips with 60 and 80 cores are going to need them as well.

Researchers at Intel are working on ways to mask the intricate functionality of massive multicore chips to make it easier for computer makers and software developers to adapt to them, said Jerry Bautista, co-director of Intel's Tera-scale Computing Research Program.

These multicore chips, he added, will also likely contain both x86 processing cores, similar to the brains inside the vast majority of Intel's server and PC chips today, as well as other types of cores. A 64-core chip, for instance, might contain 42 x86 cores, 18 accelerators and four embedded graphics cores...(more at the link)

IBM on Monday introduced its Power6 microprocessors and a new generation of Unix-based servers to run on the chip.

Power6 is designed to run at 4.7GHz, twice the processing speed of IBM's predecessor Power5+ chip. IBM not only aims to double the processing speed over the Power5 chip, but also consume the same level of electricity to run and cool it.

Big Blue, as previously reported, said it will begin selling IBM p570 Unix servers with as many as eight of the new dual-core chips. The systems will go on sale June 8 for a starting cost of $60,000, an IBM representative said.

The company plans to introduce the Power6 chip throughout two server lines--the System p machines that run Unix and the System i machines that run the i5/OS operating system. Both systems also can run Linux.

A shipping schedule and pricing for the System i with the Power6 chip are not yet available.

IBM also said it will release a feature called Power6 Live Partition Mobility later this year that will let customers move a running instance of Unix from one physical machine to another. The feature, which aids flexibility and protection against hardware failure, is currently in beta testing.

After about ten months of watching somebody else marching ahead as the all-around leader in both price and performance, AMD this morning stopped making purely defensive plays, and at last launched its counter-offensive. It will be introducing a new CPU architecture for the second half of this year, aimed at performance-hungry customers perhaps willing to pay a premium.

If you're a CPU buff, you'll definitely want to check this out, because the future of microprocessors is clearly three-dimensional.

AMD details it's desktop plans for the next year, though be it a quarter later than originally planned

AMD this week took the covers off its quad-core desktop CPU codenamed Agena FX in Sunnyvale, California. The processor was featured in single and dual-socket configurations -- the dual-socket configurations mark AMD's first demonstration of an 8-core desktop.

Next week Monday, AMD will reveal the brand name for this Agena FX-based brand, Phenom FX. The official launch date for Agena is still undetermined.

"Quad-core, codenamed Barcelona will launch later this summer, in the July, August kind of time frame -- followed by [Agena FX] on the desktop," stated Robert Rivet, AMD executive vice president and CFO.

AMD demonstrated the power of this Phenom FX system by encoding a 1080p movie trailer into H.264 in near-realtime. The company would not reveal the clock frequencies to DailyTech, though previous company guidance indicated Agena FX will debut at 2.6 GHz clock frequencies.

Agena FX is just the halo product for the desktop AMD K10 lineup. Agena (non-FX) will constitute the bulk of AMD's Phenom offerings. Agena is essentially identical to Agena FX, though the non-FX processor does not support symmetric multiprocessing -- Agena FX can support up to two sockets at this time. AMD will also announce its dual-core Agena bins, codenamed Kuma, shortly after Agena.

Intel is slated to launch its 45nm Penryn processor family in late 2007. "Penryn will be shipping in 2007," stated Intel representative Nick Knupffer. "We are launching server versions of Penryn in the second half of 2007," he added.

Intel's desktop variants of Penryn, dubbed dual-core Wolfdale and quad-core Yorkfield, surfaced last month. The server counterparts to these chips, dubbed dual-core Hapertown and quad-core Yorkfield will suceed the existing Clovertown and Woodcrest Xeon components.

AMD's Rivet makes one promise, we'll see quad-core desktop components in 2007. "That'll launch a little after the server part, it'll be called Agena. You'll see that in the Christmas line-up," Rivet claimed.

AMD’s next-generation processor line, code-named Torrenza, has gone from a block diagram to living, breathing silicon. The first incarnation of AMD’s redesigned x86 CPU is Barcelona, that which your non-co-readers will call quad-core Opteron. Barcelona is genius, a genuinely new CPU that frees itself entirely from the millstone of its Pentium legacy. It’ll do the same for you.

Each of Barcelona’s four cores incorporates a new vector maths unit referred to as SSE128 (128-bit streaming single-instruction-multiple-data extensions). I am aware that you only do quantum physics at the weekend, but the potential for hardcore IT tasks such as encryption, compression, real-time analysis of high volumes of streaming business transactions, and wire-speed packet analysis is also the stuff of science fiction.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Hackers briefly overwhelmed at least three of the 13 computers that help manage global computer traffic Tuesday in one of the most significant attacks against the Internet since 2002.

Experts said the unusually powerful attacks lasted for hours but passed largely unnoticed by most computer users, a testament to the resiliency of the Internet.

Behind the scenes, computer scientists worldwide raced to cope with enormous volumes of data that threatened to saturate some of the Internet's most vital pipelines.

Experts said the hackers appeared to disguise their origin, but vast amounts of rogue data in the attacks were traced to South Korea.

Microsoft's own antivirus software, Live OneCare, is unable to fully protect Vista users against viruses, and one of security firm McAfee's antivirus software packages also fails to protect users, according to independent research released Friday.

Security news Web site Virus Bulletin, backed by a team of security researchers based in Oxfordshire, U.K., tested 15 antivirus software packages used by businesses and designed specifically for Vista, Microsoft's newest operating system. The packages were released to businesses two months ago.

More high end server components on the way

Today AMD is expected to release its new x220-series and x218 HE-series Opteron processors. Both series are 90nm revision "F3" stepping dual-core processors.

When it comes to quad-core processors for the desktop and server arenas, Intel has pretty much had the market to itself since November 2006 (if you don't count AMD's Quad FX platform). Intel's quad-core processors were officially announced on November 14 in the form of the desktop-oriented Core 2 Extreme QX6700 and the server-oriented Clovertown Xeon 5300 series.

AMD isn't taking this news lightly and is prepared to fight back with its native quad-core Barcelona processors in mid 2007. Intel's quad-core chips put two dual-core chips onto a single package while AMD's approach has one quad-core chip on a single package.

"We expect across a wide variety of workloads for Barcelona to outperform Clovertown by 40 percent," said AMD's corporate vice president for server and workstation products, Randy Allen.

The head of Microsoft's open source software lab has extended a helping hand to Mozilla Corp. if it's interested in making sure the Firefox browser and Thunderbird e-mail client run under Windows Vista.

In a posting to the Mozilla development planning discussion group, Sam Ramji, the director of the lab, said he had set aside office space for open-source developers and would make Microsoft engineers available to Firefox and Thunderbird coders.

"As part of my mission as an advocate for open source applications on Windows, I've gotten spaces set aside at the Windows Vista Readiness ISV Lab," wrote Ramji.

SAN FRANCISCO--Intel and Dell this week showed off servers using the chipmaker's forthcoming high-end "Tulsa" Xeon, a chip that Intel has begun shipping but not formally announced.

Tulsa, a dual-core processor, is the last of the ill-fated NetBurst lineage of x86 chips from Intel. The NetBurst design in recent years was more notable for increases in power consumption than in performance, but it's now been largely replaced by the Core microarchitecture that performs better and uses less electricity.

Advanced Micro Devices plans to announce its new "Rev F" generation of Opteron server processors Tuesday, the next volley in a competition with Intel's newly competitive Xeon models.
The Rev F Opterons, all dual-core models, add new virtualization abilities and faster memory, run at the same 2.6GHz top speed as preceding mainstream models, and plug into AMD's new "Socket F." Although that new socket disrupts server designers' easy upgrade path from one Opteron to the next, it also lays the foundation for quad-core chips in 2007 and for server designs through the end of the decade.

What happens if the fastest core speed is combined with the most advanced technology - in this case featuring dual cores? For single threaded applications, the obvious answer is nothing much but fortunately, it appears that we are finally getting away from DOS and migrating towards a world dominated by massive multitasking. Dual cores, even more than single cores, have a sheer insatiable hunger for data which increases with any additional speedstep. Using the HyperTransport interface grants the AMD design a substantial advantage over Intel's front side bus with its bidirectional data bus. All of this combined with refined silicon mixtures to further lower the power consumption of the CPU promise the makings of another champion: Enter the FX60.

Does it live up to the expectations? We are about to answer exactly that question!


JUST FTL to Lost Circuits for the Review by MS...

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