Intel’s Nehalem, Super Computing in a PC ?

The microprocessor giant Intel has declared their new processor architecture using 45nm fabrication process and a revamped interconnection method between multiple cores instead of legacy Front Side Bus (FSB).

After the much acclaimed architectural design of FSB in Pentium Pro back in 1995, the new Nehalem is going to change the picture at all. According to Intel’s official news, the new microprocessor will include a new Memory Controller in the same die with the cores that will sync to DDR3 memories with a new ‘Intel Quickpath Interconnect’ replacing the age old FSB. This new architecture will ensure the faster connection between multiple cores in the process.

Intel stated that this new line of processors will include 8+ cores, but there will be also dual core and quad core variants. The quad core variant is already known to have 731 million transistors and currently not known amount of L2 Cache. A new performance enhanced dynamic power management is going to be introduced in this processors that will allow a the processor to only use the number of processor cores necessary for optimal performance and should allow CPUs with 8 cores to power down to just 2 or 4 in situations only needing those levels of performance. Also now announced Hafnium based technology will be included that will significantly reduce the power leakage problem.

Nehalem will also introduce the first multi-level shared cache architecture that will allow the different cores on a processor to share data at the L1 and possibly L3 cache levels in addition to the current L2 cache sharing implemented on the Core architecture. The quad core models will have 8MB of shared L3 Cache (Penryn has 12MB of semi-shared L2 cache), and the high-end models will have a 130W TDP, compared to 136W for high-end Penryns. This can allow for better data sharing between cores and increase performance for highly threaded applications.

I think that when the processor will ship in the market, it will have two major variants. For high performance computing, the processor should have 8+ cores for full CPU performance with integrated new memory controller. And for budget machines, there should be some dual or quad cores with new high-performance integrated graphics on the same die.

According to Intel’s business strategies, they may introduce the Nehalem processors in late 2008 after this years launch of their Penryn processors. Intel will use their new Israel manufacturing plant in Fab-28, Kiryat Gat (it is currently under construction) to produce Nehalem. Intel is already well into the development process for Nehalem, a working system with two Nehalem processors was shown at IDF Fall 2007.

Also, as suggested by Intel future roadmaps, a 32nm shrink of Nehalem, named Westmere, should be ready for release in 2009. It will come in at least two variants, possibly Whitefield & Dunnington. The successor of Westmere will be Sandy Bridge, slated to release in 2010.