Intel Forum preview: Moore's Law expressed as fewer chips
Intel is expressing Moore's Law anew as packing key technologies into fewer chips. New "Clarksfield," "Arrandale" and "Jasper Forest" processors, among others, will showcase this theme later this month at the Intel Developer Forum.
Intel Vice President Steve Smith discussed the highlights of the annual marquee Intel event that will kick off September 22 in San Francisco in a phone interview on Friday.
"Contrary to speculation that Moore's Law is slowing down or potentially dying, we're here to demonstrate that it's alive and well," Smith said. "Integration gives you a smaller, better, faster, more mobile compute platform," he said. Moore's Law, named after Intel co-founder Gordon Moore, states that the number of transistors that can be placed on an integrated circuit doubles roughly every two years.
This theme will be manifested in a number of new processors including the first mobile processor based on Intel's new Nehalem microarchitecture codenamed Clarksfield and even more highly integrated processors to follow dubbed Arrandale and Clarkdale as Intel moves to its next-generation 32-nanometer manufacturing process.
True to its rich heritage of codenames, IDF can, at times, slide into little more than a series of codename-riddled Power Point slides, with some names sounding frustratingly familiar such as Clarksfield and Clarkdale. But codenames, for better or worse, are part and parcel of IDF.
Intel codename decoder:
- Clarksfield: 45-nanometer Nehalem mobile processor integrating I/O
- Clarkdale: 32-nanometer Nehalem desktop chip integrating graphics with CPU
- Arrandale: 32-nanometer Nehalem mobile chip integrating graphics with CPU
- Moorestown: 32-nanometer system-on-chip Atom for smartphones
- Sodaville: 32-nanometer system-on-chip Atom for consumer
- Pine Trail: new Atom for Netbooks integrating graphics with CPU
- Jasper Forest: 45-nanometer, first Nehalem embedded chip for uses such as storage hardware
- Larrabee: Intel discrete graphics chip that will compete with Nvidia, AMD
- Westmere: 32-nanometer manufacturing process technology
Smith said that Intel's move to the next-generation "Westmere" 32-nanometer manufacturing process will drive even more integration next year. "We have completed development and certification of the 32-nanometer process, which means our factory is fully qualified to run the wafers. And we are actually running Westmere CPU wafers through the factory in support of our Q4 revenue production. Absolutely on track for that Q4 revenue production," he said, referring to commercial production of 32-nanometer processors.
In the more immediate future, Intel will roll out a new mobile processor based on its current 45-nanometer technology. "We just announced Lynnfield (the Core i5 and i7 chips for desktops), Clarksfield is the equivalent product for notebooks," Smith said. "Quad-core, 45-nanometer. Based on Nehalem technology but optimized with power management and integration of the PCI express I/O. Moving from a three-chip solution in the original Nehalem products to two chips--and that is our path going forward." I/O, or input-output, is silicon that enables a processor to talk, and shuttle data, to other parts of the system and peripheral components.
Speaking more specifically about Clarksfield integration, Smith said that "the key elements are integration of memory controller, integration of PCI Express 'gen' 2, power management." Intel will also be talking a lot about a feature called Turbo mode. "Turbo mode is extremely important. If you're not using all the cores, the cores that are not used are powered down. The cores that you are using can run at a faster clock rate with Turbo mode," Smith said.
Smith spoke about the next-generation Atom processor for Netbooks and Nettops, "Pine Trail," too. This chip will also showcase the theme of integration. "Similar integration story on the Netbook side. More capable Netbooks based on this second-generation platform. Pine Trail is optimized for Netbook and Nettop. Integrating from three chip to two chip. And we'll get some benefit from performance and power consumption from this integration."
The ultimate level of integration for Atom will come on 32-nanometer technology with Intel's system-on-chip, or SOC technology. Smith explained the path from here to there. "We have today's Atom with a discrete (separate) chipset. (Then) we have one level of integration called Pine Trail that optimizes that for Netbooks and Nettops. And then we have a system-on-a-chip initiative to put all the I/O around that so one can use a true single-chip for a consumer electronics device or into a tablet or future handheld device," he said.
Intel's Jasper Forest integrates functions onto fewer chips.
(Credit: Intel)While Intel's next-generation Atom chip for mobile Internet devices and smartphones is called "Moorestown" (the system-on-chip described above), a similar technology for consumer electronics devices, such as set-top boxes and TVs, is referred to as "Sodaville"--this will also be discussed.
Then there's Jasper Forest, the first Nehalem chip for the embedded market. "Another integration story. Jasper Forest is based on Nehalem but integrates the right peripherals...for embedded communications devices and high-end storage like you have in a data centers," Smith said. "Bringing Nehalem to high-end embedded designs. By doing this integration we save board space and power."
And Smith spoke about the 32-nanometer Clarkdale and Arrandale processors. "We're integrating graphics into the processor. That becomes the new expectation for a our mainstream client platforms going forward. As we move the graphics into the CPU, we get the benefit of the closer connection between the processor and the graphics and the memory that all want to be closely linked for performance and power reduction."
Brooke Crothers has served as an editor at large at CNET News, an editor at Dow Jones' Asian Wall Street Journal Weekly, and a senior editor at InfoWorld. His CNET blog covers chip technology and computer systems, and how they define the computing experience. He also contributes to The New York Times' Bits and Technology sections. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure. Follow Brooke on Twitter @mbrookec. 
This model works fine in the current system, where consumers surf the net from their phones, play games on their DT, and watch some YouTube videos from Google. This model is what Intel wants, because they sell all those nice processors to people like you and me whenever we call HP, Dell, Falcon... and they make a lot of money.
Now... I don't know why you thought this was a good place to bring up Google... but since you did, here's what's really wrong ---> You, and Intel both lack creativity. At least Intel is trying to protect its core business though.
Idea-ate this... Google releases an OS into the wild, consumers adopt the OS gradually and slowly begin to increase the load on Google's servers for processing power while (duh) also reducing the load on their local machines. They start to find they can run the equivalent of an Atom, but because of the streaming interface, they get the power of a SLA quality rack server cranking out as many FLOPS as they need to look at vacation pictures, run spreadsheets, process digital video, render complex 3D scenes, all at incredible speed and electrical efficiency, because the inefficiency of the many small processors is replaced by the efficiency of a few high-end server components located in a central, controlled environment designed to eek out every last drop of performance.
Now it turns out that the Atom inside your new DT can barely run Excel, but lo! That Atom, thanks to Chrome, is actually just a small coordinating processor to handle all the I/O from your DT and route it all back for processing to servers in Google somewhere, turning an almost useless piece of silicon into a powerhouse. Wow. That could be cool... but... wait.
Now, that's all assuming that Google is going to release an OS that is intended to replace something like Windows and run all your applications. Which, I'm sorry to say, is also where you fail to fight your way out of the creative paper bag. Google has yet to announce what it's intentions are for the entire Chrome OS project. Many uninteresting people like yourself wonder how it will ever replace Windows, with the market share that OS has now... but stop banging your head against the wall.
Ever think it might NOT compete with Windows? How? Impossible? Nope...
Chrome could increase the ad-space for Google (advertising is their bread winner, literally) increase competition in the OS market (not including its own entry) and stop Microsoft from being the first thing you see when you turn on your computer. By being the first thing you see when you turn on your computer. It's that simple, really. When you turn your computer on, Chrome steals the boot sector from Windows, boots into a simple environment with "application" shortcuts to things like picture editors, calculators, word processors, all online, all from Google, and if you want anything "extra" you can click a button and boot straight into Windows for all your normal applications.
Bam.
Google end-runs around Microsoft, by literally placing Chrome "around" Windows. Google wins, Microsoft throws a tantrum, and in six months the next thing will come around.
But anyways, it's not like Intel is going to go under if the market shifts away from distributed processing towards centralized processing, they'll just change how many low/mid/high end pieces they fab per year, who they sell those parts to, and how they market those parts. Not everyone has a 100Mb/s line into Google's servers, so it's not like that part of the market is going down the drain any time soon. Kids in Africa still need those XO laptops.
As to thin client server based computing, I think that's going to snowball eventually. That doesn't mean client processors aren't going to need to grow. They're just going to grow in a different direction. It will be more about deliverying things like 3D and graphics on wall sized displays and everything on a single chip.
In the real world, wireless drops in and out and even broadband varies in response time and has hiccups. You can simply refresh a web page or pause your youtube video to let it buffer, but if your applications were subject to the same limitations your computer would be a nightmare to use (and many apps would become unusable).
Web services are great for non-essential stuff, and apps where you don't need to interact in real time. But just like with a phone call vs. email, some stuff can't be put on pause but needs constant, dedicated information exchange, and that'll stay on local, dependable hardware.
As far as the performance differences, it seems like more of a "cloud" fetish than anything else. Sure your company might spend disproportionately to have the sports car of data centers, and your university might happily spend an extra hundred million to let its members do the same, but out in the unsubsidized real world, you can't tell me that commoditized clock cycles and ram are going to touch the performance of a computer I build or configure myself.
Like with any other market, it would be based on giving a ton of customers a decent enough experience, which means it'd probably be slightly cheaper to get the performance of the entry level Wal-Mart box people are buying by the millions, but it'd be a step down for anyone with a midrange or high end setup. Just like turning in the keys to the monster Corvette you've built for a rental Corolla.
John - For what it's worth, I don't think Google wants to axe MS from the market... I agree with the "grow the pie" idea. I think it would be possible for them to put a "wrapper" around Windows (not my idea, by the way) but I also happen to agree that they'll probably try to inject themselves into the "small client" market and then depending on their success and any lessons they learn, decide whether to pursue the "large client" market next... Excellent point about graphics, but lately even rendering has been done by satellite servers. It's another case of a sub-market splitting itself, and it's interesting to see which technological demographics will adopt the separate technologies.
Jaguar - I know where you're coming from, but nay-sayers have never persisted in this world because the technology changes too fast... for what it's worth, HTML5 will provide local-applicationstyle GUIs and functionality, including the ability to function offline, and then seamlessly synch again upon connection to a network. There will (as you said) always be connection critical, latency dependent applications, but that's what GOOD connections are for. No *consumer level* wireless technology could handle low-latency transmission of SD video and audio twenty years ago, but today I can Skype anyone in the world with my *consumer level* Wi-Fi router and a twenty dollar web cam. As I said, kids in Africa will always need XO laptops with Intel silicon, and a "real" OS... just don't dismiss those people for whom certain things like "thin client/thin OS" computers will solve a large percent of their computing needs.
- by sonear September 14, 2009 11:48 PM PDT
- looks like you can get the Arrandale motherboard before launch and for free (?) from Intel - obviously needs a non-disclosure....
- Like this Reply to this comment
-
(10 Comments)http://edc.intel.com/Platforms/Seed-Board-Program/