Posted 09/05/08 at 11:01:50 PM by Pulkit Chandna

Intel has pushed the release of its upcoming chips with integrated graphics core to 2010. According to the company, the move was necessitated due to the “client platform learning and customer feedback” it gained in 2008. These chips - codenamed Auburndale and Havendale -are based on Intel’s Nehalem microarchitecture and have integrated graphics core, memory controller and PCI-Express. They will be locking horns with AMD’s much vaunted APU (accelerated processing unit) that the company has codenamed Fusion. If AMD can release its Fusion in the second half of 2009, as widely speculated, it will have a bit of time to freely plug its APU.

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amd, intel, cpu, gpu, nehalem, hardware, Processors, chip, havendale, auburndale, apu, integrated graphics core, delay

Posted 08/08/08 at 10:10:47 AM by Pulkit Chandna

Nvidia has licensed Transmeta’s power conserving technology for a sum of $25 million. The technologies that Transmeta has leased out to Nvidia include its flagship power management technologies, Longrun and Longrun 2. Transmeta has quickly mastered its current business model of licensing IP to bigger companies and its coffers are loaded with cash.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Nvidia has licensed Transmeta’s power management technology as most chip manufacturers are concentrating on increasing power efficiency.

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nvidia, gpu, processor, power saving, transmeta, chip

Posted 08/05/08 at 12:58:24 PM by Paul Lilly

The next time anyone tells you that PCs will soon become obsolete in a world filled with media centers and gaming consoles, feel free to give them a wedgie. And while you're tugging at their skivvies, be sure and let them know the real truth about PC sales, which are not only in no danger of disappearing, but are boasting stronger than expected sales.

"How strong?," the wedgie recipient asks, appearing more surprised at the news than he is of his underwear being pulled higher than it every has been before.

Tell him $127 billion, which represents global semiconductor chip sales for the first half of 2008, or 5.4 percent above the H1 2001 result. Then let him know that June 2008 sales climbed 8 percent from June 2007's numbers, settling in at $21.6 billion compared to $20 billion.

Hit the jump to find out why memory manufacturers aren't sharing the same enthusiasm.

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Memory, hardware, build a pc, rigs, sales, chip

Posted 07/31/08 at 09:54:23 PM by Paul Lilly

Intel can not only lay claim as the current king of chip technology, but its upcoming Nehalem microarchitecture looks poised to keep the silicon studs on top of the competition well into 2009. AMD has yet to threaten Intel's position ever since Conroe, and while the company remains confident under Dirk Meyer as the new head honcho, it's still playing catch up to Intel's 45nm technology.

The situation gets a little more competitive when switching from CPUs to GPUs, and according to Tomshardware, sources at both ATI and Nvidia are saying they will each have a 40nm GPU manufacturing process by the first half of 2009, possibly to be unveiled at next year's CeBit.

Assuming either company meets their target, the accomplishment will unseat Intel as the technological leader in terms of the smallest chip structures, even if only for a short time. The road won't stop at Nehalem and Intel is already busy developing 32nm CPUs, which many expect to be shown off in prototype form at the company's spring development forum in H1 2009. Volume shipments could come as early as Q3 next year.

Even so, if 40nm GPUs materialize as reported, it will mark the first time GPUs will overtake CPUS in terms of production nodes. That won't necessarily make it a better chip, but you can expect plenty of fanfare should Nvidia and/or ATI dethrone the silicon king.

Le Roi est mort, vive le Roi?

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amd, intel, graphics, videocard, ati, cpu, nvidia, gpu, processor, hardware, 45nm, build a pc, chip, manufacturing process, 40nm

Posted 07/14/08 at 11:13:53 AM by Paul Lilly

British tech news site The Register claims to have taken a peek at some IBM internal documents detailing the company's upcoming Power7 chip. If the report holds true, the new chips will sport eight cores per processor and some "very, very large IBM boxes based on the chip."

It gets even better. According to the report, the internal documents show the octocore Power7 being arranged in dual-chip modules, or 16 cores per module. That translates to a combined 256 gigaflops of performance, roughtly twice as much as today's Power6 parts. Still haven't satiated your server fetish? Picture four of the Power7 processor in a 2U system, which equates to 64 cores hitting 2 teraflops. Mmmm.

The Register says IBM will ship the 45nm Power7 processors clocked at 4GHz in 2010.

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server, cpu, processor, ibm, hardware, build a rig, eight-core, 4GHz, chip