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Fri 10 Apr 2009

IBM and AMD first to announce 22nm SRAM chips

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IBM recently announced the production of its first functional 22nm SRAM cell. This is not the final processor as they are still 3 years into the future. The SRAM chips are basically the first semiconductor devices that are used to test a new manufacturing process.

These were built on the conventional 6-transistor design and on a 300mm wafer. This allows the SRAM cell to shrink to a mere 0.1 sq. ” m compared to SRAM cells of 45nm proccessors which are 0.346 sq. ” m.

Intel first demonstrated its 32nm SRAM cell in September last year and seems to be on track with its 32nm micro processor production which is codenamed Westmere. Meanwhile AMD still has a lot of catching up to do in launching its 45nm processors while Intel is all set to launch its second iteration of its 45nm line up, the Core i7 (Nehalem).

Inspite of the hype, the Phenoms failed to perform well compared to the Core2’s and now their 45nm processors will attempt to take on Intel’s Core i7.

Another thing IBM mentioned is that they will be using a 32nm high-K metal gate technology that no other company has used till now. Intel has been using this very same technology on its 45nm Penryns since last year, so its interesting to know what changes they have made.

While there is still time for the 32nm and 22nm processors to actually see the light of day, its good to know that IBM is already one step ahead and maybe this time Intel will have to re-think their strategy if they want to stay ahead of their game.

 

Sun 17 Aug 2008

AMD Puts Nvidia On Notice With 4870 X2 Graphics Card

Posted by admin under AMD, NVIDIA
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Advanced Micro Devices had been building to this moment since the early summer release of two new 4800 series graphics cards, and on Tuesday unveiled the whopper — the ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2, which features two GPUs on a single card, boasts two full gigabytes of memory and delivers 2.4 teraflops of processing power, according to AMD.

It’s “the world’s fastest graphics card,” according to AMD, which has priced the initial shipments at $549. The “ultra-enthusiasts” targeted by the 4870 X2 now have a choice between AMD’s very best and discrete graphics leader Nvidia’s edge video card — the 1GB GeForce GTX 280, which could be had Tuesday on Newegg.com at prices in the $450 range.

AMD can now legitimately claim to have an answer to Nvidia’s top-shelf products for probably the first time since the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based chip maker acquired ATI Technologies in 2006. If market share follows, it would put a much-needed positive spin on a merger that has thus far garnered far more headlines for the hurt it’s put on AMD’s financials than for the market’s embrace of AMD-ATI products.

AMD is certainly banking on a major win with its 4800 series of products. In addition to the 4870 X2, the $399 ATI Radeon HD 4850 X2 was released Tuesday. In late June, AMD unveiled its first product in the 4800 series, the sub-$200 Radeon HD 4850 and followed up a week or so later with the more powerful 4870, priced at around $300.

The 4800 X2 series, until recently known by the code name R700, builds on the dual-GPU technology AMD developed with its Radeon HD 3800 X2 products, which also come in two flavors, the 3850 X2 and 3870 X2. The two 4800 X2 cards get their cross-GPU performance boosted from technology based on the PCIe Generation 2 standard. AMD continues to lead the industry with its 55nm process technology for graphics chips and remains ahead of the game in supporting DirectX 10.1.