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http://readersinfo.com/_dl/ AMD reveals Fusion CPU+GPU, to challege Intel in laptops \| "SAN FRANCISCO-The "Llano" processor that AMD described today in an ISSCC session is not a CPU, and it's not a GPU-instead, it's a hybrid design that the chipmaker is calling an "application processor unit," or APU. Whatever you call it, it could well give Intel a run for its money in the laptop market, by combining a full DX11-compatible GPU with four out-of-order CPU cores on a single, 32nm processor die. Details on the highly parallel vector hardware-the "GPU" part of the device-have yet to be disclosed, but AMD is focusing today's revelations on the CPU part of the design. In a nutshell, AMD has taken the "STARS" core that's used in their current 45nm offerings, shrunk it to a new 32nm SOI high-K process, and added new power gating and dynamic power optimization capabilities to it. Each out-of-order core has a bit under 35 million transistors, and a 1MB L2 cache that's not included in that number. AMD is targeting sub-3GHz operation, and a power consumption range of 2.5 to 25 watts. The chipmaker will put down four such cores, shown in the micrograph below, along with enough vector hardware to power a DX11 GPU. Overall, most of the work on the x86 side of Llano was done on dynamic power optimization and on fitting the design to the 32nm process. In this respect, Llano differs from the upcoming "Bobcat" mobile part in that the latter is more portable across a range of processes and configurations, and features less custom work. A die shot of Llano from an AMD slide. AMD has announced that Llano will be sampling in the second half of this year, and will be available from OEMs sometime in 2011. " By Jon Stokes http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2010/02/amd-reveals-fusion-cpugpu-to-challege-intel-in-laptops.ars
http://readersinfo.com/_dl/ Intel announces Itanium 9300 processors \| "Intel has introduced the Itanium 9300-series processor, previously codenamed Tukwila, which the company claims delivers more than double the performance of its predecessor, boosts scalability and adds reliability features to the Itanium platform that is already running mission-critical applications for 80% of the global 100 corporations. With Gartner predicting a 650% growth in IT data over the next five years, the two-billion transistor Itanium processor 9300-series can meet the need head on with twice as many cores as its predecessor (four versus two), eight threads per processor (through enhanced Intel Hyper-Threading Technology), more cache, up to 800% the interconnect bandwidth, up to 500% the memory bandwidth, and up to 700% the memory capacity using-industry standard DDR3 components. Critical corporate workloads also demand high-availability features across all platform components. The Itanium processor 9300-series adds to the architecture's resiliency with new reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS) features that extend across the processor, its Intel QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) technology, and the memory subsystem, Intel said." - Joseph Tsai, DIGITIMES http://www.digitimes.com/NewsShow/MailHome.asp?datePublish=2010/2/9&pages=PR&seq=203

Readers NEWS

http://readersinfo.com/_dl/ AMD reveals Fusion CPU+GPU, to challege Intel in laptops | "SAN FRANCISCO-The "Llano" processor that AMD described today in an ISSCC session is not a CPU, and it's not a GPU-instead, it's a hybrid design that the chipmaker is calling an "application processor unit," or APU. Whatever you call it, it could well give Intel a run for its money in the laptop market, by combining a full DX11-compatible GPU with four out-of-order CPU cores on a single, 32nm processor die. Details on the highly parallel vector hardware-the "GPU" part of the device-have yet to be disclosed, but AMD is focusing today's revelations on the CPU part of the design. In a nutshell, AMD has taken the "STARS" core that's used in their current 45nm offerings, shrunk it to a new 32nm SOI high-K process, and added new power gating and dynamic power optimization capabilities to it. Each out-of-order core has a bit under 35 million transistors, and a 1MB L2 cache that's not included in that number. AMD is targeting sub-3GHz operation, and a power consumption range of 2.5 to 25 watts. The chipmaker will put down four such cores, shown in the micrograph below, along with enough vector hardware to power a DX11 GPU. Overall, most of the work on the x86 side of Llano was done on dynamic power optimization and on fitting the design to the 32nm process. In this respect, Llano differs from the upcoming "Bobcat" mobile part in that the latter is more portable across a range of processes and configurations, and features less custom work. A die shot of Llano from an AMD slide. AMD has announced that Llano will be sampling in the second half of this year, and will be available from OEMs sometime in 2011. " By Jon Stokes http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2010/02/amd-reveals-fusion-cpugpu-to-challege-intel-in-laptops.ars

http://readersinfo.com/_dl/ Intel announces Itanium 9300 processors | "Intel has introduced the Itanium 9300-series processor, previously codenamed Tukwila, which the company claims delivers more than double the performance of its predecessor, boosts scalability and adds reliability features to the Itanium platform that is already running mission-critical applications for 80% of the global 100 corporations.

With Gartner predicting a 650% growth in IT data over the next five years, the two-billion transistor Itanium processor 9300-series can meet the need head on with twice as many cores as its predecessor (four versus two), eight threads per processor (through enhanced Intel Hyper-Threading Technology), more cache, up to 800% the interconnect bandwidth, up to 500% the memory bandwidth, and up to 700% the memory capacity using-industry standard DDR3 components.

Critical corporate workloads also demand high-availability features across all platform components. The Itanium processor 9300-series adds to the architecture's resiliency with new reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS) features that extend across the processor, its Intel QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) technology, and the memory subsystem, Intel said." - Joseph Tsai, DIGITIMES http://www.digitimes.com/NewsShow/MailHome.asp?datePublish=2010/2/9&pages=PR&seq=203