Intel Creates Chip Breakthrough

[Humpty]

A few years off as yet but interesting nonetheless.

 

Quote:

 

The configuration significantly boosts the speed of processing, with the added benefit of massive performance gains at lower costs.

 

If the chips can be mass produced, it could mean that computers would be able to have hundreds of processors on a single chip, making for extremely fast optical links and supercomputing-level performance.

 

For PC users, the advance would mean an Internet connection nearly 1,000 times faster than broadband Relevant Products/Services from Sprint is today. Such an advance would mean a movie could be downloaded in minutes rather than hours, and several content streams -- like Internet-delivered TV -- could be watched simultaneously.

 

Story

[Eldmannen]

Yes, I have occasionally read some news about optical computers. Wonder when there will be an x86 optical computer.

 

Upcoming non-optical processor is Quad-core processors. Intel Core Quadro, but it essentially two Core Duo's on one die.

Soon coming also AMD K8L architecture, it will be a true quadcore CPU.

 

Not on the x86 field, there is the Sun Niagara II (UltraSPARC T2), it is an 8 core SPARC processor with 64 threads, a real beast!

[Andavari]

Sounds interesting and all and the increase in performance at a price for us mere mortals would be nice, but I wonder how much heat a PC case would have to deal with then with all that processing power in it.

[Eldmannen]

Sounds interesting and all and the increase in performance at a price for us mere mortals would be nice, but I wonder how much heat a PC case would have to deal with then with all that processing power in it.

If you thinking about the optical processor mentioned by Humpty, then probably none. Probably wouldn't even need a heatsink.

 

The upcoming Intel Core 2 Quadro, which is a normal silicon processor like every other day, have a TDP that is twice as high as the Core 2 Duo (Conroe).

 

The upcoming AMD K8L, I have no idea, but probably cooler than Core 2 Duo.

 

 

 

The Cell processor seems pretty interesting. Worth to mention is that it is not x86 architecture though but it seems it have some performance.

 

 

The processors today used in consumer computers, Intel Pentium 4, Intel Core Duo, AMD Athlon 64, etc are all based on the x86 architecture which is about 20 years old. And we will continue use the x86 architecture for many years to come, because switching to another architecture is a pain, because it breaks compatibility. Apple have been using the PowerPC (PPC) architecture for theri Mac computers for a long time, but recently they have switched over to the x86 architecture.