Core Architecture: 45 nanometer Transistor Technology

According to Moore's Law, the transistor density on processor circuit doubles every two years. Only a year ago, companies released their processors using 65 nanometer transistor technology but today, Intel has announced that it has made a significant breakthrough with technology using 45 nanometer transistors with different materials. This new technology increases transistor density in processors over twice the current value.

Over the last 10-15 years, manufacturers have used silicon dioxide (SiO2) insulators inside transistors, but the increase of transistors have caused these insulator walls to become much thinner. This is not good as the insulators are designed to prevent current leakage from the transistors which causes additional heat release, power consumption and even damage to the chip. Therefore, the 45 nanometer technology brings forth new materials into the production of the transistors. We will discuss more on the materials in future posts as for now the focus is more on the 45 nanometer transistors.

This new transistor breakthrough allows manufacturers to continue delivering high end computers, laptops, servers, etc. Besides more functionality, it also decreases cost for customers. Compared to the 65 nanometer, the new 45 nanometer provides the following benefits :

• Increased transistor count (Mentioned above)
• 20% faster transistor switching speed which will deliver higher core speeds and increased instructions per clock cycle
• Extend energy efficiency by reducing transistor switching power
• Higher cache memory and front side bus speed.

This new technology is due to release in the second half of this year. So those planning for an upgrade should wait to check out these new processors.

Multi-Core! Get More With One

Previously I spoke about 64 bit computing which allows the processor to handle more data, hence increasing the efficiency of computers. Today, the subject of discussion would be about Multi-Core Processing Units. The multi-core technology just surfaced a few months ago and it has already taken the market by a storm. It isn't just about a new generation of processors. It is an huge leap that will influence computing for years ahead.

What is it?
In simple terms, multi-core processors contains two or more "executional cores" within a single processor (Intel, 2007). It plugs into a single socket but the OS refers each core as a individual logical processor. The idea behind this implementation lies in the "divide & conquer" strategy. Meaning that, by distributing computational work done by one processor and spreading it over multiple cores, a multi core processor can perform more work within a clock cycle (Intel, 2007). This function is called "threading". Processors equipped with this function are able to execute completely different sets of codes simultaneously (Useful for programming and multimedia apps as their operation run parallel). This capability also enhances users experience in multi-tasking as a number of applications run concurrently with the background applications such as anti-virus, security and network management.

Future Multi-Core Processors
Beginning of the year, Intel recently showed their 80-core CPU!! Running at a staggering clock speed of 5.7Ghz. Each core is connected by a router to pass instructions around. For power saving, each core can be turned when its processing capabilities is not needed. For more information about this chip, visit http://news.softpedia.com/news/Intel-039-s-80-Core-CPU-Running-at-5-7-GHz-46881.shtml

Please do post your opinions..

Take Off with 64 Bit

Example Of A 64 bit Processor.

Courtesy of http://www.ispirian.com/wc/default.asp?Info=504311136_1-AMD--0

Okay..so here is where we start off our discussion about processors. The first subject that I will touch is 64 bit processing/computing.

I'm sure you must have heard stories /reports about 64 bit processing. But what exactly is 64 bit processing? 64 bit CPU architectures are those that are based on registers, address buses or data buses of that size. A 64 bit platform CPU generally supports 64 bit of integer data. This system holds more memory and performs larger number of calculations comparative to lower bit platforms.

Understanding Bits

A bit is a single 1 or 0 integer processed/stored by a transistor in the CPU. All processors are differentiated by the bit processing ability (data calculations). The bit rating of a processor (Ex. 32bit, 64 bit) concludes the largest number the processor can handle (Kyrnin, 2007). A number greater than that will require more than 1 clock cycle. A 32 bit processor handles a number up to 4.3 billion but a 64 bit processor can handle a number up to 18.4 quintillion!!! (Kyrnin, 2007)This concludes that a 64 bit processor reduces clock cycles and is more efficient in large number mathematics.

64 bit architecture makes working with huge data sets in application such as digital video, scientific computing, and large databases easier and faster. Not only speed but applications like multi-tasking and clustering are better suited for 64 bit architecture.

Memory

32 bit chips can address up to 4 GB of memory with the maximum allocation to any program is 2 GB. A 64 bit on the other hand can address up to 16 exabytes of memory (over 16 billion GB of memory!!). This isnt a big deal for remote computers but its a huge boost for super computers and servers. The biggest benefit is obviously the data transfer rate as pulling bits out of the memory is 60,000 times faster than from the hard disk.

If computers are to increase in processing speed, it is neccessary to take the 64 bit platform seriously. System that require more memory and large calculations will directly reap rewards from the 64 bit chip. Therefore it is clear that 64 bit computing holds the key to the next generation of processors.

For more information you can refer to the article from http://compreviews.about.com/cs/cpus/a/aapr64bit_2.htm

First Post

As you can see, this is my first post for the topic processors. I rather not go into much details at the moment as I need to spend more time on getting used to this blogging process. In brief, the discussion in my blog would include next generation processors(mostly technologies from Intel, AMD and IBM), more deeper information such as the clocking speed, FSB speed, cache memory size, architecture, etc, and also other relevant discussions such as overclocking and cooling mechanisms.

Everyone is welcomed to join in and bring up any interesting points they might have. Don't be shy to share your information ...