IBM, AMD Find Way to Improve Chip Performance
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We&#39;ve known about &quot;strained silicon&quot; for a while--but now there&#39;s a better way to do it. Straining silicon improves chip performance.
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(InfoWorld) - In an upgrade that could improve chip performance for gamers and multimedia users, IBM plans to double the performance of its microprocessors in 2008 by using smaller, more efficient memory, according to a paper presented at the ISSCC (International Solid State Circuits Conference) trade show in San Francisco Wednesday. IBM plans to use DRAM (dynamic RAM) instead of SRAM (static RAM) as the embedded memory cache built onto each chip. The change will allow each chip to store its data in one-third the area and use one-fifth the electricity for standby power, said Subramanian Iyer, director of 45-nanometer technology development at IBM. The approach will vastly improve chip performance for multicore processors and for applications that need to move large amounts of graphic data, such as gaming, networking and image-intensive multimedia, he said. IBM is already using the new embedded DRAM (eDRAM) in 65nm prototype chips, and plans to roll it out commercially by 2008 for its entire range of 45nm chips, including its Power line. The technology could have a big impact on consumer electronics, since IBM supplies chips for all three of the top gaming consoles; Sony Computer Entertainment's PlayStation 3, Nintendo's Wii, and Microsoft's Xbox 360. A typical commercial microprocessor like Intel's Core 2 Duo devotes 60 percent of its surface area to memory, Iyer said. Replacing that with eDRAM cells taking up just one-third as much space will allow chip designers to build smaller chips and reduce the "run lengths," the length of wire that data must travel as it commutes around the chip, said John Barth, senior technology staff member and chief of eDRAM architecture for IBM. IBM has used embedded DRAM in its chips for the BlueGene supercomputer, but those PowerPC processors use moderately performing, bulk-technology DRAM, which is far slower than SRAM. To create the new design, IBM will add a high-speed type of DRAM to its current silicon-on-insulator (SOI) architecture. "This DRAM now is almost as fast as SRAM. It may not be as fast at the micro level, but when you get down to 45nm, it will be faster at the system level. It's going to just blow the doors off," Barth said. "A typical microprocessor takes 14 clock cycles to get data from its cache. Using DRAM slows that down, but only one clock [cycle]. By doubling the amount of memory on the die, we can get double-digit percentage gains at the system level." The advance comes at the same time that several other chip vendors are seeking better ways to move large quantities of graphics data. Advanced Micro Devices evenÂ acquired graphics card maker ATIÂ in 2006, and now plans to combine its graphics power with AMD's processing chips in a single chip called Fusion. That challenge was compounded in February, since Microsoft's new Vista OS has a graphics-intensive interface that demands increased PC storage space, faster processors and even separate graphics cards or coprocessors.
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Chip power has increased dramatically in the last few years, thanks to new multicore processors from Intel, AMD and other chip makers. The problem is, software developers who understand how to utilize the new hardware are in short supply.
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Chip maker says it will use methods other than clock speed to improve processor performance.
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Chip-making technique to fuel AMD64, PowerPC, 'Cell' production
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A new semiconductor alloy jointly developed by IBM and its partners will spur the development of faster and smaller memory chips. The companies say the advancements would lead to smaller chips than currently possible with flash memory.
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AMD has demonstrated the company&#39;s first dual-core microprocessors. Dual-core processors offer improved performance over single-core chips, especially in multithreaded applications.
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IBM and Advanced Micro DevicesÂ (AMD) have jointly developed a new method for implementing strained silicon technology on both positive and negative transistors, the companies are expected to announce Monday.
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IBM and Advanced Micro Devices have come up with a new way of straining silicon in a move that will allow them to make chips with better performance.
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SAN JOSE, CALIF. - Everywhere you look at the Fall Processor Forum, there&#39;s another chip with more than one core. At this annual industry conference where chip companies discuss the designs they&#39;re working
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In dueling announcements, Intel Corp. and IBM separately say they have solved a puzzle perplexing the semiconductor industry about how to reduce energy loss in microchip transistors
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It looks like a partnership between AMD, IBM, Sony and Toshiba has produced a new technology which allows faster transistor speeds with the same energy consumption.
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AMD and IBM announced a collaborative breakthrough in processor technology today, marking the first use of two new techniques that advance speed and performance without requiring more power.
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IBM and Advanced Micro Devices have announced that they have produced a silicon chip with a marked improvement in speed by using strained silicon technology.
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IBM Corp. (NYSE: IBM) and Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) said Monday that they have developed a strained silicon transistor technology aimed at
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AMD and IBM today announced that they have developed a new and unique strained silicon transistor technology aimed at improving processor performance and power efficiency.
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High-end processors for computer servers will compete with an upcoming new product from AMD.