Multi-Core for more, more, more
Another major point in Paul Otellini's opening keynote address at IDF was Intel's multi-core CPU strategy. Openly demonstrating the 1.7 billion transistor Montecito Itanium processor, a chip that's dual-core with 24MB of cache memory, Hyper-Threading (for 4 CPUs per chip), running in a 4 chip block for a 16 CPU system.Running a Windows operating system, Task Manager was shown running sixteen processors in the system.
Intel fully expects to have dual-core processors from top to bottom available in 2005. In 2006 they believe they will have 40% in desktop, 85% in workstation and servers (either dual or multi-core), and 70% of mobile products, all dual-core.
As a drop-in means to new performance, Intel commented that NASA have an SGI Altix system that runs weather simulations, based on the Itanium 2 processor. Using Montecito CPUs, without having to change any other hardware or softare, the system will gain 1.5 to 2X the performance it already has.
A0 silicon has never had such an impressive first showing.
