To Infinity and Beyond

I enjoy times where I can talk about what is to come in the future. It gives me the chance to blast through my wildest imagination and think how the next technology can change the way we live. Be it a breakthrough towards renewable energy, or a leap forward in quantum computing, all are equally extraordinary. But for now, I will like to focus more on the area of CPUs and its roadmap for this fresh year.

The past year was more inclined towards moving from single to dual core processors. This year may be a little different, with both Intel and AMD shrinking their manufacturing process to 45nm. As all may know, Intel is still in the lead with their revolutionary Core 2 line of processors. Fortunately for us (we like stiff competitions, don’t we?), AMD is not out of the league. Although Intel’s market lead may seem light years ahead, there’s always hope for AMD to bounce right back on the track. However, it seems that things will stay the way they are till late 2008 with Intel’s promising CPU roadmap.

This year, we should be expecting to see Intel release their new line of Penryn (dual core) and Yorkfield (quad core) processors. Besides seeing a die shrink, this new pack will feature a boost in FSB speeds, a sharp increase in cache sizes, and a little gain in clock speeds. Mobile chips will also be likely to see a decline in power consumption and a step forward to quad cores.

As for AMD, arriving at the frontline will be the Phenom line of desktop processors. It will showcase new X2 (dual core) and X4 (quad core) versions. Not to forget a tri-core model, AMD will also make a push towards 45nm. Griffin, AMD’s upcoming mobile platform, will stick to 65nm whilst advancing to HyperTransport 3. AMD has long been in the field of eliminating a need of an FSB, by integrating the memory controller directly to the processor itself. It claims that HyperTransport 3 will deliver a threefold increase in bandwidth.

In 2009, Intel will initiate a whole new architectural design with Nehalem. It will feature an integrated memory controller and probably 8 cores for both desktops and laptops. AMD will proceed with its Leo and Python platform, making a move towards DDR3 memory.

That’s all we should be expecting folks!
T’ang

(With references from PCmag.com)