4-5Ghz processing speeds coming soon "Again".
-
News > Hardware > Chips Thursday 9th February 2006
IBM's chip future may woo Sun
Colin Barker
ZDNet UK
February 07, 2006, 16:35 GMT
IBM hints at the next stage for Power with a spate of 'discussions'. Will a chip deal with Sun be the endgame?
IBM moved the battle of the microprocessor vendors up a notch on Monday when it revealed that it was developing a new manufacturing method for its Power range that promised speeds of 4-5GHz — twice as fast as the processors' current top speed.
The new technology is believed to be a variation of the silicon-on-insulator (SOI) developments that IBM has been working on for some time.
The announcement of the new product was made at one of a series of IBM discussions at the IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference in San Francisco, as the company seeks to increase interest in the Power architecture.
The new IBM process alters the way silicon behaves by placing a layer of insulator underneath a layer of silicon less than 500 atoms thick, Bernard Meyerson, chief technologist of IBM's technology group, told Reuters on Monday.
"You literally can squeeze silicon, and thereby give it properties to make it faster. The thing that is making it run faster is not just that it's smaller but because you're changing its basic physical properties," Meyerson said.
IBM intends to incorporate the technology into the next generation of Power processor, the Power6, which is due in 2007. The latest line, the Power5 and Power5+, run at speeds around 2.2GHz.
The IT industry is watching IBM's development of the Power line of processors with interest as the battle for supremacy in microprocessors in servers and desktops continues.
Last year, IBM lost a high-profile customer when Apple switched from the Power architecture to Intel. Now it is looking for a replacement to help it offset the massive costs of developing microprocessors.
One possible replacement is Sun which currently uses Intel processors in some computers but whose main architecture is the proprietary SPARC line of chips.
In January, IBM's chief architect Frank Soltis, who heads up the company's core iSeries and pSeries divisions, hinted that IBM might be pursuing the Sun business aggressively.
"Sun will run on one of these platforms — AMD, Itanium or Power," Soltis told journalists. "Really it is going to be Power or Itanium. It's just too expensive to develop these things now."
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/chips/0,39020354,39251058,00.htm -
4-5 Ghz
-
Before long we'll see Intel or AMD countering back with 'new technologies' blah blah...
From 2.2GHz to 4-5GHz is a MASSIVE increase... Lets just sit back and see if they can pull through -
They'll take another few years to settle that.
By then, Intel could have the solution for their 4-5ghz.
-
i thot they`re already long over due
they should double every 3-4 yrs -
x2Originally posted by BaByBoY:i thot they`re already long over due
they should double every 3-4 yrs -
4- 5Ghz? it's about time already, they're late.
i remember 3,4 years back, the processor speed is increasing every 2 month, those pentum III to early pentium 4 days.
but the whole of last year we didn't see any major breakthrough in speed increasement. -
Processor speeds are now reaching a threshold, don't expect any major breakthroughs.
The next major breakthrough will be combining 2 dual core processor on one motherboard, to reach quad core. The speed will be much faster than your 4-5GHz. -
yup, but MPUs or dual core CPUs are like each processor like 1.8 to 2Ghz, so they combine become about 4Ghz.
But this WILL only work if your program allows double or multiple threading like in simulation or CADCAM drawing, currently cannot be used for gaming or surfing internet or what.
This new SINGLE 4-5Ghz chip will truly be a major step towards faster speeds. Woohz... -
The PowerMac Quad is already doing that isn't it?Originally posted by ndmmxiaomayi:Processor speeds are now reaching a threshold, don't expect any major breakthroughs.
The next major breakthrough will be combining 2 dual core processor on one motherboard, to reach quad core. The speed will be much faster than your 4-5GHz. -
Is it? I thought they are dual core processors?Originally posted by chanff8:The PowerMac Quad is already doing that isn't it? -
I think the main issue here is overheating. As you know, computers can get REALLY hot. With increased processing speed, the amount of heat generated is increased as well. Fans can only do so much to suck the heat out of the CPU.
Heck, I remember reading about this local hardcore online gamer who actually customised his PC to have a liquid nitrogen cooling system.
With room temperature superconductors still a distant dream, manufacturers are going to have a hard time trying to increase the speed while still keeping the CPU size suitable for home use. -
Most of the PowerMac models are dual core only, but the highest end PowerMac has double dual core processorsOriginally posted by ndmmxiaomayi:Is it? I thought they are dual core processors? -
That's why i said they need another few years to solve that.Originally posted by fudgester:I think the main issue here is overheating. As you know, computers can get REALLY hot. With increased processing speed, the amount of heat generated is increased as well. Fans can only do so much to suck the heat out of the CPU.
Heck, I remember reading about this local hardcore online gamer who actually customised his PC to have a liquid nitrogen cooling system.
With room temperature superconductors still a distant dream, manufacturers are going to have a hard time trying to increase the speed while still keeping the CPU size suitable for home use.
Their powerMac chip actually not doing well in the heat dissipating deptartment from the past till now.
If this problem not settled. Then expect your room to have a 4-5ghz or quad processor as Heater.
Cheers~ -
I see.Originally posted by chanff8:Most of the PowerMac models are dual core only, but the highest end PowerMac has double dual core processors