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Intel CPU Roadmap 2009-2010 February 10, 2009 Brandon Sandman Bell |
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Summary: Today Intel revealed more details than ever about their upcoming CPU plans for the rest of 2009 and into 2010. Read all about the new processors the company has in store for the immediate future in this article!
 Intel Processor Roadmap Update | Page:: ( 1 / 2 ) |
At a media briefing conducted earlier today, Intel disclosed more info than ever on their plans for 32-nm. More specifically the company provided members of the press an updated roadmap outlining future processors based on their Westmere family of CPUs.
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Westmere is the “tick” in Intel’s tick-tock strategy. In case you don’t remember, under tick-tock, Intel follows up the introduction of a next-generation microarchitecture with a process shrink each year. Last year’s introduction of the Core i7 line of CPUs (previously codenamed Nehalem) was the “tock”, and now like clockwork, Intel plans to follow up Nehalem with the first process shrink based on that architecture, the “tick”. In this case 2009’s tick is codenamed Westmere and will be built on Intel’s upcoming 32-nm manufacturing process. Next year we’ll see Intel’s next tock, which is codenamed Sandy Bridge.
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What’s new with 32-nm
Without a doubt, Intel’s key advantage over competitors is manufacturing: every two years Intel expects to introduce a new manufacturing process. This allows them to incorporate more transistors into their CPUs while also reducing die size and power consumption. In other words, Intel can use these additional transistors to integrate more processing cores, additional cache, and other performance-enhancing features into their processors more affordably and with lower power consumption than they could have under their previous manufacturing process, or they can focus exclusively on reducing power consumption. Intel’s high-end Westmere part will be the first desktop CPU to incorporate six cores, while system-on-chip (SoC) designs will allow for even smaller form factor PCs.
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32-nm is Intel’s first manufacturing process to incorporate immersion lithography. With immersion lithography, liquid is used on critical layers to improve focus. Intel’s 32-nm manufacturing process is composed of 9-layers with copper+low-k dielectric.
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Intel says 32-nm provides around 70% dimension scaling from their 45-nm generation. The new process is so healthy, Intel was able to boot from first silicon.
Intel’s CPU plans for 2009
Thanks to some overclocking enthusiasts on xstremesystems.org, we already know Intel’s immediate plans to Core i7. In a matter of months the company plans to unleash the Core i7 975 Extreme Edition to the world.
Clocked at 3.33GHz with a 133MHz base clock and 25.0x multiplier, the Core i7-975 Extreme Edition should replace today’s 965 EE processors and will likely be priced at $999. The new chip will utilize Intel’s D0 stepping, which reportedly offers improved OC’ing when compared to today’s Core i7 processors, which are based on Intel’s C0 stepping.
Rumors also suggest Intel will introduce a new 3.06GHz Core i7 950 CPU, unlike the 975 EE however, this hasn’t been confirmed officially or unofficially with representatives from Intel.
One of Core i7’s key weaknesses however is cost. All Core i7 CPUs require Intel’s X58 platform, and pricey DDR3 memory, and as any enthusiast can tell you, motherboards based on Intel’s X-series chipsets have never been cheap. While X58 motherboard price have come down considerably since launch, X58 motherboards still start right around $200, with the price quickly going up from there on more feature-rich motherboards.
To address this issue, Intel plans to introduce mainstream derivatives of Nehalem in the second half of 2009. These processors will utilize a new CPU socket and 5-series chipset, making them incompatible with the X58/Core i7 platform and vice versa. They’ll also utilize a dual-channel memory controller rather than the triple-channel controller used on the Core i7.
These first mainstream derivatives of Nehalem are codenamed Lynnfield and Clarksfield. Lynnfield will be used for the desktop market, while Clarksfield will reside in notebooks.
Both chips will sport quad-processing cores with Hyper-Threading support, allowing the processor to handle up to eight threads simultaneously. Intel was expected to also introduce a dual-core derivative with integrated graphics codenamed Havendale, but as we learned yesterday Havendale has been cancelled.
Instead of launching Havendale for the value segment, Intel plans to go straight to their 32-nm Westmere family of CPUs.
In a bit of a surprise to us at least, Intel basically announced that their first Westmere parts will be focused on the value segment, previously Intel’s first CPUs to get new technology went into the high-end space. The first Penryn parts for instance went into the Core 2 Extreme QX9770 and Core 2 Extreme QX9650 in 2007, with 45-nm mainstream parts shipping in early 2008.
This time around the value space will get first dibs on the new manufacturing process, with the high-end 6-core part coming in early 2010.
| Westmere | Page:: ( 2 / 2 ) |
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Both Clarkdale and Arrandale will sport two processing cores with Hyper-Threading, bringing support for up to four threads to run simultaneously, and they’ll also be the first Intel CPUs to feature integrated graphics on the CPU package (although it won’t be on the same piece of silicon as the CPU die). Intel also says both CPUs will support dual-channel DDR3, with 4MB cache. In another first, the new processors will also support Intel’s new AES instructions: these are 7 new instructions focused on delivering accelerated encryption/decryption. This should reap benefits for users concerned about data security who would like to encrypt their hard drive.
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In terms of graphics, Intel says the new integrated graphics core should deliver dramatically improved performance, although when pressed further it sounds like it isn’t a new architecture, rather the design is derived from their existing 65-nm IGP. Instead the performance benefits largely come from the improved bandwidth and reduced latency Intel obviously reaps by integrating the CPU and GPU closer together on the same package, as well as higher clock speeds. Unlike the 32-nm Westmere CPU, the graphics chip used will be based on Intel's existing 45-nm process.
By integrating graphics on the same package as the CPU, that also obviously makes life tougher for someone like NVIDIA, who has touted their superior graphics performance before with integrated graphics products like GeForce 9400M, which has won numerous design wins including Apple Macbook.
With graphics moving off of the chipset and directly onto the CPU itself, it’s more efficient for someone like Apple, Dell, or HP to just use the integrated graphics provided by the CPU rather than going to the expense of using an NVIDIA chipset. Fortunately Clarkdale and Arrandale support switchable graphics, so a discrete GPU could be combined with the CPU to deliver superior 3D performance when needed for apps like gaming, and then switch back to the integrated graphics to conserve power.
Another benefit of integrating graphics onto the same package as the CPU for Intel is flexibility: they can easily add newer, more powerful graphics parts as they become available without having to resort to introducing a new system chipset or affecting the CPU core itself.
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Interestingly enough, Intel has no plans at this time for a quad-core Westmere part. This also came as a bit of a surprise to us, but Intel said they plan to focus on the high volume market first and foremost. They also mentioned the current state of the economy, where consumers seem to be more price-conscious than ever. Obviously Clarkdale and Arrandale will be going primarily into low-cost desktop and notebook PCs, where dual-core is more prevalent.
Rather than introduce a new quad-core part based on Westmere, Intel’s sole quad-core parts will remain Lynnfield and Clarksfield until their next-generation Sandy Bridge architecture arrives at the end of 2010. You can see that in this slide here:
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Fortunately Clarkdale and Arrandale will rely on the same 5-series motherboards launching first for Lynnfield and Clarksfield.
For the high-end desktop PC market, in early 2010 Intel plans to replace today’s Core i7 CPUs with a third Westmere-based core codenamed Gulftown. Gulftown will ship with six processing cores, with Hyper-Threading support added on top brining the total number of threads supported to 12.
According to Intel, Gulftown will utilize today’s X58 chipset, so potentially users upgrading right now should have an upgrade path a year from today.
To whet the public’s appetite, Intel also showed off desktop and mobile Westmere-based platforms today:
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Conclusion
Intel’s lead in process technology gives them a huge advantage over AMD. In addition, unlike AMD, Intel’s roadmap execution has been perfect as of late. When Intel says they’re going to do something, they actually deliver on that promise. That makes life easier for system integrators who can plan accordingly, and the consumer benefits from the timely arrival of new products.
As enthusiasts, we’re a little disappointed to see Gulftown isn’t launching at the end of this year, but given Core i7’s lead over AMD, obviously Intel doesn’t feel a higher-end CPU part is needed right now. Instead they’re going directly after the value mantle AMD is heavily competing in with lower spec Athlon X2 parts.
This move is likely going to make life tougher for AMD come the end of 2009.
NVIDIA will also come under pressure as a result of this move. By canceling Havendale and going straight to Clarkdale and Arrandale, Intel will have a more powerful graphics part (although we wouldn’t be surprised if they’re still behind today’s GeForce 9400M) that’s packaged with the CPU. This makes it tougher for NVIDIA to sell their integrated chipsets, as you’re essentially asking your partners to buy something that Intel’s basically giving them for free. Just as integrated audio and networking have made life tougher for the likes of Creative and 3Com, integrated graphics that’s built-in to the CPU will make things tougher for NVIDIA.
Discrete graphics will always have a place in the PC, but as the surge in netbook sales has shown, the value segment is where the real growth is right now.
We’re also baffled by Intel’s decision to rely on Lynnfield and Clarksfield to service the mainstream quad-core space until Sandy Bridge arrives. Here our guess is that Intel will have plenty of SKUs to adequately service the market, especially if Intel ends up introducing slower Core i7 parts below the 920 at some point. It also doesn’t hurt that AMD’s quad-core Phenom II parts are more competitive with today’s Core 2 Penryn CPUs than Nehalem, so again, there’s no rush to introduce new parts in this space when your existing lineup should be more than adequate enough to outperform the competition.
In terms of clock speeds, Intel revealed that clocks won't be drastically different than today's CPUs. So don't expect anything too drastic here.
In any case, Intel’s got AMD right where they want them, and their recent moves with Westmere will also make life tougher for their other competitor, NVIDIA. Add in Larrabee and things get even more interesting for Intel. We don’t see Intel’s dominance ending anytime soon.