Intel has announced several details surrounding its upcoming Itanium CPUs, which will include a series that is currently referred to by the code-name "Poulson." The new chips, which were referenced during an Intel keynote at the Hot Chips conference at Stanford University, represent the 10th Itanium generation as the company jumps from 65nm manufacturing processes down to 32nm.
A sharp-eyed customer as spotted several Gatewaydesktops with Intel's next-generation Core 2011 processors at a Future Shop in Vancouver. The desktops were equipped with Core i7 2600 and Core i5 2300 processors respectively, two of the 29 new desktop and mobile CPUs in the Sandy Bridge lineup. Several manufacturers were known to be shipping notebooks with the new processors, but this is the first sighting of Core 2011 desktops.
Intel has announced its second generation Core processor family, codenamed Sandy Bridge. The new chips are manufactured using Intel’s new 32nm process and still carry the Core i3, i5 and i7 branding despite notable architecture enhancements. The new line is comprised of 29 new processors and are the first from Intel to put the memory controller and graphics on the same die as the processor. The chips generate less heat while delivering significant performance boosts. Also improved is the integrated graphics performance of the new HD 2000 and 3000 cores, which are up to 200 percent faster than the outgoing GMA 4500 series.
Intel is reportedly aiming to advance its Atom architecture with chips based on 15 nanometer processes. The technology would represent a significant leap, as current Atom offerings are all based circuits with a minimum of 45nm technology. Even the Cedar Trail platform, scheduled succeed the Pine Trail series in 2011, will be the first Atoms to be based on a 32nm process.
Toshiba today revealed that it will assist IBM's 32-nanometer processor development. The Japanese electronics maker will join AMD, Samsung, and other technology firms in the IBM Semiconductor Alliance in producing CPUs and other chips based on the smaller manufacturing process, likely leading to faster components to be shared between some or all of the firms, such as IBM's Cell processor used in the PlayStation 3 and future AMD Phenom cores.
IBM began its week with news that it has developed a new 32-nanometer processor manufacturing technology that it says will not just improve performance but also make it more accessible. The process uses a variant on the same high-k/metal gate technique that replaces some of the silicon in transistors with more efficient, cooler materials to pack more components into a single chip and increase performance. An enhancement, known as "high-k/gate-first," not only includes a further shrink from the 45 nanometers of technology about to reach the market to 32 nanometers but is also easier to produce. By focusing on the most advanced components first, it lets partner companies design smaller, faster processors without having to increase the chip complexity from the outset.
