Intel Announces 50-core Knights Corner Processor

Posted 05/31/2010 at 4:54pm | by Pulkit Chandna

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Intel recently scrapped plans to launch Larrabee-based discrete graphics products while hinting that the multi-core GPU technology still holds promise as far as high-performance computing goes. It today unveiled plans to launch a new line of products, based on its Many Integrated Core (MIC) architecture,  to cater to the needs of various HPC segments.

The announcement implies that all the time and effort  spent on Larrabee hasn't gone down the drain since the MIC architecture is itself based on a bunch of Intel projects, including Larrabee and the Single-chip Cloud Computer.

It should be very clear to anyone familiar with the Single-chip Cloud Computer (SCC) – a research  microprocessor containing 48 Intel Architecture cores,  that a commercial product derived from it is almost bound to feature a ridiculous number of cores. Indeed, the first offering in the new line will feature 50 cores on a single chip. Knights Core, as the chip is codenamed. will be made on a 22nm process.

"Intel's Xeon processors, and now our new Intel® Many Integrated Core architecture products, will further push the boundaries of science and discovery as Intel accelerates solutions to some of humanity's most challenging problems," said Kirk Skaugen, vice president and general manager of Intel's Data Center Group.