CPU

Three researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have proposed an innovative way to improve global climate change predictions by using a supercomputer with low-power embedded microprocessors, an approach that would overcome limitations posed by today’s conventional supercomputers.

The TILE64 processor, from Tilera Corporation, has passed through full qualification and is now available in production. The TILE64 processor delivers the highest performance available for the embedded processor space and leads the industry in power-performance density and ease of programming.

The TILE64 processor is available in three device models: The standard 700MHz device; a low-voltage, low-power 500MHz version; and a high-performance 866MHz part. All of these devices offer system-on-a-chip capabilities with integrated memory controllers and rich I/O including PCI Express and multiple 1 and 10 gigabit Ethernet interfaces to save on cost and printed circuit board real estate. Sampling since July 2007, the TILE64 processor has been designed into multiple networking and multimedia platforms.

Intel Corporation, Samsung Electronics and TSMC have reached an agreement on the need for industry-wide collaboration to target a transition to larger, 450mm-sized wafers starting in 2012. The transition to larger wafers will enable continued growth of the semiconductor industry and helps maintain a reasonable cost structure for future integrated circuit manufacturing and applications.

The companies will cooperate with the semiconductor industry to help ensure that all of the required components, infrastructure and capability are developed and tested for a pilot line by this target date.

International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE: IBM) and Matheson Tri-Gas, Inc., have signed a unique, four-year agreement to jointly develop new manufacturing materials and processes that will enable the next generation of semiconductor technology for 32nm and beyond. The agreement marks the first time Matheson Tri-Gas/Taiyo Nippon Sanso and IBM have collaborated on semiconductor technology.

AMD (NYSE: AMD) announced the availability of three new AMD Phenom™ X3 triple-core processors that, when combined with the AMD 780 series chipset, can give users a full HD experience and visually stunning gaming and digital performance.

The proliferation of digital media devices and entertainment changes the way consumers use PCs and creates stronger demand on the processing and graphics capabilities. Two of the biggest determinants of the user experience when purchasing a PC are graphics and processors, with consumers weighing trade-offs. The AMD solution-based PCs offers balanced platforms that enable the Ultimate Visual Experience complete with scalability.

IBM (NYSE: IBM) and its joint development partners – Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing Ltd. (Chartered), Freescale Inc. , Infineon Technologies AG, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (Samsung), STMicroelectronics N.V. and Toshiba Corporation – have collectively demonstrated significant performance and power consumption advantages over industry standards by using a breakthrough material known as "high-k/metal gate” (HKMG) on silicon manufactured at IBM's 300 millimeter (mm) semiconductor fabrication facility in East Fishkill, N.Y. With this achievement the joint development partners are now ready for early customer engagements. Clients may now design in this leading edge, low power foundry technology in order to help speed time-to-market and help realize power-performance advantage for their products.

Intel Corporation today introduced five new Intel® Atom™ processors and Intel Centrino® Atom™ processor technology for Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) and embedded computing solutions.

The technology package includes the Intel® Atom™ processor (formerly codenamed "Silverthorne") plus a single-chip with integrated graphics called the Intel® System Controller Hub that enables PC-like capabilities in smaller devices that can fit in your pocket. Manufacturers around the world are planning to ship Intel-based MIDs beginning this summer.

AMD Phenom™ X3 8000 series triple-core processors are available. The triple-core processors are designed to improve multi-threaded application performance over dual-core processors at the same clock speed.

When paired with the AMD 780 series chipset, AMD Phenom X3 processors can deliver significant enhancements in gaming and high-definition experiences for mainstream PC customers. The desktop solution can provide a full HD experience with support for the latest and most demanding formats, including VC-1, MPEG-2 and H.264 on a mainstream PC. With the AMD Unified Video Decoder (UVD), the solution can process HD playback on the better-suited GPU rather than the CPU so users may enjoy a smooth HD viewing experience—less lag, stalling and dropped scenes—in the latest Blu-ray titles.

Intel Corporation has introduced two low-voltage 45 nanometer (nm) processors for servers and workstations that run at 50 watts, or just 12.5 watts per core and frequencies as high as 2.50 GigaHertz (GHz). The Quad-Core Intel® Xeon® Processor L5400 Series takes advantage of Intel's unique 45nm manufacturing capabilities and reinvented transistor formula that combine to boost performance and reduce power consumption in data centers.

Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ: JAVA) has been awarded $44.29 million funding for a five and a half-year research project focused on microchip interconnectivity via on-chip optical networks enabled by Silicon photonics and proximity communication. Part of DARPA's Ultraperformance Nanophotonic Intrachip Communication program, the project commences with an incremental delivery of $8.1 million to Sun Microsystems' Microelectronics and Laboratories divisions.