Nanotech - The Circuits Blog

AMD says it is on track to deliver a dual-core chip code-named Kuma, refuting speculation that certain Kuma models have been canceled.

"The speculation is completely untrue," said AMD spokesman Jake Whitman. "We're still on track to launch a dual-core--code-named Kuma--part in the second half of '08. It will be 65 nanometers, still be based on the Star's core. So, that's coming."

He also disassociated Kuma from Phenom, as speculated in some articles. "We have never said anywhere along the lines that Kuma was somehow associated with Phenom," he said. "Dual-core Phenom? I've never seen that on a road map."

Phenom is a line of desktop processors available in triple-core and quad-core versions.

AMD did state when the Phenom line was launched that there could be a dual-core variant, Whitman said. But this concept has never been realized and Phenom has never been branded as part of Kuma. "We have never branded that code name."

Probably more germane to AMD's future plans was a report issued Wednesday by the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) that projected 2008 chip sales growth of 4.3 percent in 2008, revising down the previous growth forecast of 7.7 percent. This news caused both AMD and Intel shares to fall on Wednesday.

"Continued strong competition in memory chips--principally DRAMs--will result in slower growth in 2008," the SIA said.

However, processors--Intel's and AMD's main business--should still see healthy growth. "Microprocessors, which account for roughly 14 percent of total semiconductor revenues, have experienced healthy unit sales growth to date in 2008, and revenues are expected to grow over 10 percent per year for the next two years," the SIA said.

"Sales of personal computers, the largest single market for semiconductors, continue to be strong, especially in emerging markets," the report said.

Quad-core processors boasting lower power and packing more transistors are arriving at mass-market retail.

These latest chips from Advanced Micro Devices and Intel are now populating consumer desktops from Hewlett-Packard and Gateway, among other prominent PC makers. What makes them different? Intel's are made on a 45-nanometer process, and AMD's run at a lower power.

First up: AMD and its new power-sipping quad-core 9100e Phenom. HP is now offering its space-saving Slimline Pavilion desktop with the 9100e, which draws only 65 watts. Typically, quad-core processors draw 95 watts or higher. Intel's popular Q6600, for example, has a thermal envelope rated at 105 watts.

The HP s3430f system also packs 4GB of PC2-6400 DDR2 SDRAM memory, a 500GB (7200 rpm) Serial ATA (SATA) hard disk drive, and an Nvidia GeForce 8500 GT graphics processor. The system is priced at $999 at Best Buy.

Next up, Intel's Core 2 Quad Q9xxx series of 45nm quad-core processors. Although the Q9550, Q9450, and Q9300 CPUs were announced at the beginning of January, they were delayed, pushing back availability in the distribution channel until mid-March.

One reason for the long delay was stated explicitly by Intel CEO Paul Otellini at his company's first-quarter 2008 earnings conference call earlier this month.

"The bulk of our 45-nanometer output starts out in servers, moves to mobile, then moves to desktop," he said. In other words, desktops have last dibs on 45nm parts. There were also rumors about motherboard compatibility problems for all three chips.

Whatever the case, the processors are now offered on select consumer systems from HP and Gateway, among other PC vendors. The Q9550 (2.83GHz) and Q9450 (2.66GHz) integrate 12MB of cache (versus 8MB for older Intel quad-core chips) and attach to a 1,333MHz front-side bus. The Q9300 (2.5GHz) has 6MB of cache. All have a thermal envelope of 95W.

The HP Pavilion Ultimate d4999t series--with a Q9550 processor, 3GB of DDR2-800MHz dual-channel SDRAM memory, an Nvidia GeForce 8400 graphics card (256MB), and a 500GB 7200 SATA hard disk drive--is priced at $1,259.

Gateway offers a FX7026 tower system with a Q9300 processor for $1,099 at Best Buy.

Intel's low-cost Atom processors will be at the core of inexpensive PCs. And inexpensive computers these days often come with Linux.

How do PC companies shave off the last hundred dollars or so to get to $299 or in some cases $199? Easy. They swap out Windows (pricey) for Linux (free).

Case in point: Home Depot, the home supply store, sells a Mirus-branded desktop with either Windows or Linux. Based on the same hardware, one model sells for $419, the other for $299. Can you guess which one is $299? That's a steep price cut--more than 25 percent--for the system with Linux. Inside the Mirius is a Celeron D 420, which lists for $34, the cheapest chip that Intel currently lists on its pricing Web site.

Linux-based PCs like this are prime real estate for Atom. Especially when reports this week cite the cheapest upcoming Atom processors (due in the second quarter) at below $30.

A likely high-profile candidate for Atom and Linux is the Eee PC. The Linux option allows resellers to keep offerings as cheap as possible. The current Eee PC at Newegg is priced at $349 with Linux and a Celeron M processor (the forerunner--from the standpoint of market positioning--to Atom).

Processors from Via Technologies also match up well with Linux operating systems such as gOS. Wal-Mart sells (online) an Everex gPC2 TC2512 desktop computer with a 1.5GHz Via C7-D Processor and Google-centric gOS for $199.

(Correction: gOS is a Linux distribution from "Good OS LLC.")

Though Atom-based computers with Linux will be targeted at emerging markets, the success of the Eee PC in mature markets like the U.S. and Japan means that there is pent-up demand for stripped-down but practical PCs. "In emerging markets it will be a first PC. In mature markets, it will be a second or third PC within a household," said Dean McCarron, founder and principal of Mercury Research. Also, an Atom-based desktop could potentially go on the back of a monitor that is used in point-of-sale applications, McCarron said.

And don't overlook Via's C7 or low-end versions of its upcoming Isaiah processor being paired with low-cost computers with a Linux option. The V7 is slated for HP's upcoming HP 2133 Mini-Note PC and Isaiah is expected to garner a number of design wins in both ultraportable notebooks and desktops.

Though the HP 2133 may not be the best example of a low-cost PC (it is expected to come with Windows Vista Business, hiking the price to almost $750), expect Linux-based "Netbooks" (Intel's self-described category for small, inexpensive notebooks) to be less expensive than this.

Intel's Q series of mainstream 45-nanometer desktop quad-core processors are finally starting to trickle out. These chips were announced back in the beginning of January amid reports of delays.

The Q9550, Q9450, and Q9300 Core 2 Quad processors are now available in systems from PC suppliers such as Alienware and Velocity Micro. Retail availability is still limited, however. Resellers such as Buy.com and Computers4sure list the Q9550 and Q9450 as "sold out" or "out of stock."

"We are really seeing high demand on these parts, and we are filling orders as fast as we can," an Intel spokesperson said Tuesday. The spokesperson added that "most" of the processors had just launched into the market this week.

The "Q" non-Extreme quad-core processors typically have clock speeds, front-side bus (FSB) speeds, and thermal envelopes that are lower than Extreme processors which have the "QX" prefix before the processor model number.

The QX97700 (3.20 GHz, 12MB cache, 1600 MHz FSB), an Extreme quad-core desktop processor, has also recently become available, priced at $1,399.

The Q series of processors have the following specifications and prices:
Q9550: 2.83GHz, 12MB cache, 1333-MHz FSB: $530
Q9450: 2.66GHz, 12MB cache, 1333-MHz FSB: $316
Q9300: 2.50GHz, 06MB cache, 1333-MHz FSB: $266

Intel will bring out a version of the Atom processor for low-cost desktops, among other form factors, according to a report.

The Atom processor, announced earlier this week, is a tiny low-power, low-cost processor destined for ultramobile devices and low-cost desktops typically running either Linux or Windows XP. The first Atom chips will ship in the second quarter.

A dual-core version of the Atom processor, due in the third quarter, will run at 1.87GHz and have a thermal envelope of 12 watts, according to the Chinese-language Web site HKEPC, which cites Taiwan motherboard manufacturers as sources. Some designs that use this version of Atom will have passive cooling. Passive cooling systems are typically fanless and thereby use less power.

Intel will not comment on unannounced products but spokesman Bill Calder said that there will be a dual-core Atom processor for desktops--which Intel is calling "Nettops"--that will appear after single-core versions. As previously reported, Atom processors for notebooks (Netbooks) will not be dual-core. At least not initially.

The dual-core version may find its way into set-top boxes and embedded systems too, the report said.

Systems will use a 945 Northbridge chipset and an ICH7 Southbridge. The Northbridge chipset connects the CPU to memory and the PCI bus. The Southbridge controls I/O functions, such as USB, audio, serial, and the system BIOS. Some of the systems may use an Intel "Little Falls 2" Mini-ITX motherboard, a tiny (17x17 cm) low-power motherboard design developed by VIA Technologies, the report said.

This push by Intel--with both processors and motherboards--is expected to pose a challenge to VIA, which is a major player in the embedded market.