Itels New 2 Billion Transistor CPU with 30MB of cache !

cah027

Distinguished
Oct 8, 2007
456
0
18,780
http://www.tomshardware.com/2008/04/02/intel_shows_off_massive_two_billion_transistor_tukwila_and_diminutive_atom_at_idf/

Gelsinger did show off Intel's upcoming Tukwila processor which is a monster 2-billion transistor quad-core chip with 30 megabytes of cache. Due to ship in late 2008, the Tukwila will have dual integrated memory controllers and Quickpath interconnects something which Intel says is faster than AMD's HyerTransport technology. The silicon seems to be progressing as the world's first demo of a Tukwila server running RedHat 5.1 was shown to the public.


Sorry if someone already posted about this, but does anyone know anymore about this?

Whats up with this ?

 

rodney_ws

Splendid
Dec 29, 2005
3,819
0
22,810
The two billion transistor count is a bit misleading if you're looking at that as a way of measuring its processing power since most of those transistors are probably part of that massive chunk of cache in the thing.
 


Well the reference to giant was due to size but if what Intel states is true it will be a can of whoop ass. I need to find the details but I read a report on their quickpath and the bandwidth available to it. It was insane.

But as I said I can't wait to see it in action just to see AMD's response.
 

cah027

Distinguished
Oct 8, 2007
456
0
18,780
How does this compare to Nahelem ? How much cache will it have. I know desktops and server cpu's differer , just wondering.
 

Mathos

Distinguished
Jun 17, 2007
584
0
18,980
From what I remember when Intel compared QPI to Hypertransport, they were comparing it to HT2.0. Just means AMD will need to release chips that run HT3.0 at full speed, and probably need to come out with a faster version for AM3.
 

cah027

Distinguished
Oct 8, 2007
456
0
18,780
Well. My transmission going out in my car will force me to wait until Helmmie comes out.. So then I can render my standard def videos faster than real time! If I had one of the current quads I probably could ?

I read a post about Nahelem earlier and someone had cpuz pics I think it showed cache. That could have been a fake though.
 

luminaris

Distinguished
Dec 20, 2005
1,361
0
19,280


This is pretty much true.

It operates at 2GHz and uses a large number of transistors for memory. It also contains lot of onboard memory and registers.

intel_turkwila-thumb-450x300.jpg


This is still a good step in the right direction IMO for Intel.

 

rodney_ws

Splendid
Dec 29, 2005
3,819
0
22,810
I forget what exactly I read and where... but it said something to the effect of in 1950 there were 500 million transistors in the WORLD.

Now we're packing 4 times that amount into one CPU. Pretty amazing times we live in.
 
It's mostly cache .. so the huge transistor count isn't a great leap forward in technology.

The design is old hat.

It's a clinker.

When software engineering (if ever) catches up and we actually have decent multithreaded code running ...

Alas ... the world doesn't seem to have enough smart people employed in the area.

Maybe we need to market programming as the profession for the world's smartest people ...

After all ... the hardware can't do much without them.


:)
 


Yeah, I think those were contact transistors which basically were a germanium rock with wires soldered to it :) I'd like to see Intel put 2 billion of those puppies in a building, let alone a chip.
 

Flakes

Distinguished
Dec 30, 2005
1,868
0
19,790
^^

lets see you try and program for multi thread, its more of a limitation of the language than the programmer tbh... ive got some training in Multi-threaded Java programming, but i hate the language. prefer C+.
 

endyen

Splendid
Ah yes, Itanium.
They are also known as "the money pit", and Itanic.
Intel has spent about $100billion on that puppy over the last ten years.
Since it first went on sale about 6 years ago, they have sold thousands.
It is intended as an HPC server chip. Problem is, it's more efficient to go with multiple clusters, with IBM, opteron, and even xeon chips.
I'm sure that AMD will be happy to see Intel waste more $ and research on it.
 


IDK. That may change with this chip. If it performs better tand cost less than a certain amount of clusters then it would be to the benefit of the buyer.

I of course think that tera-scale would be better but hey I don't control them.
 

rodney_ws

Splendid
Dec 29, 2005
3,819
0
22,810


Oh come on... I wasn't implying they were same size of transistor.
 
The iceberg hit it so many times and it refuses to sink ... so ... ???

Intel probably use the entire project as a means to avoid paying tax.

That is possibly the entire reason for it's existence.

On that basis alone it could be a fantastic success !!

I actually have seem an Itanium ... so they do exist.

A guy was walking out of a shop with one ... in a wheelbarrow. Two mad scientists with bald heads and facial ticks were at his side ... whispering some very long sentences in his ears.

He was unable to comprehend.
 

rodney_ws

Splendid
Dec 29, 2005
3,819
0
22,810

Go post on Sharikou's blog!
 


Neither was I :). However since you made the comparison, at least number-wise, I just took it one step further. Fun to imagine a CPU the size of an office building, running at maybe 100 Hz, with a 10 megawatt power draw. Then AMD could regain the computing power-per-watt crown :)...
 
Ok lets look at the facts. 2billion transistors on a single die. Impressive? Very. Nice QPI links and uber fast with lots o memory bandwidth.

The chip looks promising. Now we need to wait and see its performance nubers when it hits. :D
 
You have to give credit to Intel for this, although we (most of us any way) won't be using those CPUs the technology and the knowledge that Intel learned from the creation of those CPUs will filter down in one way or another to the newer consumer CPUs, (ie. Quickpath in the future Nehalm)
 

endyen

Splendid


Have a problem with humour? Maybe just a bad day?
FYI Itanium has been the laughing stock of the server market for longer than I can remember.
It has been called Itanic since 2K or earlier.
Just consider yourself lucky. Intel had planned to shift everyone to IA64 itanic chips, up to the point where AMD brought out x86-64.
It may still happen.
The price range for Itanics is $800 to $3000.
 

Mandrake_

Distinguished
Oct 7, 2006
355
0
18,780
FYI Itanium has been the laughing stock of the server market for longer than I can remember.

I think that the Rejecteron (or Oopseron?!) takes the cake now. The Barcelona launch was far more botched (Launched last September... servers still MIA!) than any Itanium launch.
 

spud

Distinguished
Feb 17, 2001
3,406
0
20,780


Same old crap from you Intel wanted to move us to IA64 there was no talk of EPIC in the mix.

Word, Playa.