PCI Express bus has been evolving for over ten years now. So far the technology has tripled its initial data rate, but the next step is taking a longer time. PCI SIG claims that the fourth generation PCI Express specification will be finalized in 2017 and will materialize this decade. The …
Read More »Transition to ‘Zen’ microarchitecture will take AMD years – document
Advanced Micro Devices’ next-generation “Zen” micro-architecture promises to significantly increase performance of the company’s central processing units next year. Even though AMD will introduce high-end microprocessors based on “Zen” in 2016, it will take a long time before a significant share of AMD’s chips will adopt its new architecture. AM4 …
Read More »Intel delays ramp of 10nm mass production due to poor yields – report
Intel Corp. has again delayed installation of equipment necessary to produce semiconductors in high volume using 10nm process technology. It is believed that Intel experiences yield ramp issues, just like in case of its 14nm manufacturing tech, which is why it does not make sense for the company to buy …
Read More »AMD ‘Raven Ridge’: Mainstream APU with ‘Zen’ cores due in 2017
Advanced Micro Devices will release microprocessors based on “Zen” cores only for high-end desktop computers next year. Mainstream PCs will get the company’s new micro-architecture in 2017, when the company rolls-out its “Raven Ridge” accelerated processing units, according to a media report. Next year AMD will offer its “Bristol Ridge” …
Read More »UMC: 14nm FinFET technology will be ready for tape outs by year end
United Microelectronics Corp. said on Tuesday that it has successfully taped out a test chip from ARM using its 14nm FinFET fabrication technology. The company also revealed that the new manufacturing process will be ready for customer tape outs by the end of the year. UMC and ARM recently taped …
Read More »Intel’s ‘Kaby Lake’ to succeed ‘Skylake’ next year
Intel Corp. has changed its roadmap once again and delayed its code-named “Cannonlake” processors to an unknown date. Next year the company will introduce “Kaby Lake” processors made using 14nm FinFET process technology. Intel’s “Kaby Lake” processors will feature two or four cores, a new generation integrated graphics engine, a …
Read More »GlobalFoundries is evaluating 22nm FD SOI technology
Modern FinFET process technologies help to reduce power consumption of modern chips while increasing their clock-rate potential. Unfortunately, it is extremely expensive to design FinFET chips, which is why many chip developers cannot afford creation of new solutions. In a bid to help such companies to release new chips, GlobalFoundries …
Read More »Intel’s 28-core Xeon ‘Skylake’ CPUs to support 6TB of DRAM, LGA-3467 form-factor
Intel Corp. is working on a brand-new server platform code-named “Purley”, which will include Xeon microprocessors based on the “Skylake” micro-architecture with up to 28 cores and will feature a number of platform-level innovations. The new multi-core chips will not only sport extraordinary amount of cores and new features, but …
Read More »AMD is considering breakup, spin-off graphics business unit – report
Chief executive officer of Advanced Micro Devices has ordered a research to review possibilities of splitting the company in two or spinning off a multimedia chip business unit, a media report claims. The company is mulling different options, as it desperately wants to become competitive against Intel. AMD itself denies …
Read More »Launch date of Core i7-6700K and Core i5-6600K ‘Skylake-S’ revealed
Intel Corp. will officially unveil its next-generation mainstream microprocessors for enthusiasts in early August at the Gamescom trade-show. The introduction of the code-named “Skylake-S” microprocessors at a games conference will emphasize that the new chips are designed primarily for systems used to play video games. Intel intends to formally unveil …
Read More »Intel Core i7-6700K ‘Skylake’ de-lidded: small die and NGPTIM found
Although Intel Corp.’s upcoming Core i7-6700K “Skylake-S” chip will likely become overclockers’ new darling, it looks like it will have the same drawback as currently available mainstream microprocessors with unlocked multiplier: inefficient internal thermal interface. As reported, Intel Corp. started to ship production ready full-speed engineering samples of its next-generation …
Read More »AMD’s 2016 APUs to be powered by ‘Excavator’ x86 cores – slides
Advanced Micro Devices will not use its next-generation high-performance “Zen” micro-architecture for its accelerated processing units next year, if excerpts from an alleged AMD presentation published by a web-site are to be believed. While the slides reveal AMD’s intentions, they do not answer all the questions about the forthcoming chip. …
Read More »AMD set to release first ‘Zen’-based microprocessors in late 2016 – document
While Advanced Micro Devices’ next-generation micro-architecture known as “Zen” looks very impressive on paper, it will not hit the market any time soon. In fact, AMD plans to release the first microprocessors featuring the new cores only in late 2016, according to a document published by a web-site. AMD’s first …
Read More »AMD’s ‘Zen’ may enable company to be a viable competitor to Intel – analyst
Advanced Micro Devices has not updated its server and high-end desktop microprocessors for well over two years now, which is why market shares of AMD Opteron and AMD FX central processing units are negligible. However, a lot may change next year, when AMD roll-out its next-generation CPUs based on its …
Read More »Xilinx may take over AMD after buyout of Altera by Intel – analyst
Many analysts now believe that Advanced Micro Devices may never recover from its current problems and will inevitably sink. While everything may happen in this industry, it is unlikely that companies of AMD’s size can vanish into oblivion. An analyst believes that Xilinx, a maker of field-programmable gate arrays, may …
Read More »Intel preps ‘Apollo Lake’ CPUs with ‘Goldmont’ cores, Gen9 graphics
Intel Corp. is working on its next-generation low-cost microprocessors for desktop and laptop computers. Code-named “Apollo Lake”, the new central processing units will be based on a new micro-architecture and will feature an all-new graphics processing unit. Intel’s upcoming “Apollo Lake” processors will be powered by the company’s next-generation micro-architecture …
Read More »AMD: Development of ‘Zen’ CPUs is our largest R&D spending now
Advanced Micro Devices has been slashing its research and development budgets for a number of quarters in a row now due to decreasing revenues. With limited R&D resources, AMD has to prioritize its spendings. According to chief executive officer of AMD, at present the company spends most of its R&D …
Read More »AMD appoints Intel and LSI veteran to lead computing and graphics BU [UPDATED]
UPDATE: Correcting comments regarding Matt Skynner. Advanced Micro Devices on Monday appointed Jim Anderson on the position of senior vice president and general manager of its computing and graphics (CG) business group. Jim Anderson is a veteran from Intel Corp., LSI and Avago Technologies. Matt Skynner, corporate vice president and …
Read More »Intel begins to ship ‘Skylake’ samples to all PC manufacturers
Intel Corp.’s code-named “Skylake” microprocessors will hit the market only in August or September and right now the world’s largest maker of microprocessors is getting ready for the launch. Intel is currently sampling “Skylake” chips with PC manufacturers and at Computex Taipei 2015 Asustek Computer has demonstrated a system powered …
Read More »AMD refreshes ‘Kaveri’ lineup, touts great overclockability, up to 5GHz clock-rates
Advanced Micro Devices on Thursday formally introduced new accelerated processing units for desktop computers based on the “Kaveri” architecture. The new chips belong to the A10/A8-series 7000-sequence family and have slightly increased performance compared to APUs introduced a year ago. While the new chips have exactly the same design as …
Read More »TSMC to begin building 10nm pilot line in June
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. has announced that it will start to install equipment needed to produce 10nm chips in one of its semiconductor fabrication facilities next month. The company hopes to start risk production of 10nm chips late this year. TSMC will start to construct its 10nm pilot line at …
Read More »Intel Core i7-6700K ‘Skylake’ test results: 4–8% faster than Core i7-4790K
A web-site has published what it claims to be early benchmark results of Intel Corp.’s Core i7-6700K microprocessor based on the “Skylake” micro-architecture. If the results are accurate, then the new chips will be at least four to eight per cent faster than the current mainstream processors with unlocked multiplier. …
Read More »Qualcomm teams up with Chinese government for server CPUs
Qualcomm Technologies has reportedly signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Chinese government under which it will develop server-class microprocessors. The chips will eventually be used inside Chinese servers, which will ensure a steady revenue stream for Qualcomm. Under the terms of the document signed by Qualcomm and the authorities, …
Read More »Intel: We know how to produce 7nm chips
Intel Corp. will likely start making central processing units using 10nm fabrication process next year, but the company is already hard at work developing an even more advanced process technology. According to Intel, it already knows well how to produce chips at 7nm node. “After 10nm, comes 7nm [manufacturing technology] …
Read More »Samsung vows to start 10nm chip production in 2016
Samsung Electronics this week announced that it will start high-volume production of semiconductors using its 10nm manufacturing process by the end of next year. The company also showcased a wafer processed using the technology for the first time. Samsung Foundry did not reveal a lot of information about its 10nm …
Read More »Intel: We will reveal schedule for 10nm chips later this year
Intel Corp. has been particularly tight-lipped about its roadmap concerning microprocessors to be made using 10nm fabrication process. However, on Friday the company said that development of the 10nm technology is progressing well and it will share more information about products it plans to produce using the process later this year. …
Read More »Intel bids adieu to DDR3: Majority of ‘Skylake-S’ mainboards to use DDR4
Intel Corp.’s upcoming code-named “Skylake-S” microprocessor will promote the new DDR4 memory standard considerably more aggressively than it was initially believed. Although integrated memory controller of “Skylake” supports different types of DRAM, the processors will not officially support DDR3, but will only be compatible with a low-power version of the …
Read More »KitGuru Complete Guide to PC Workstations – Part 2
As we explained in our introduction to this series, workstations are considerably more than just powerful PCs. Brute performance may be the basis of a system you intend to use for high-end desktop computing tasks like 3D animation, CAD/CAM, engineering and product design. But there is much more to a …
Read More »AMD clarifies cross-license with Intel: change of control terminates agreement for both
Advanced Micro Devices has clarified terms of the cross-license agreement with Intel Corp. on Thursday. As it appears, if either AMD or Intel change their control (i.e., gets acquired), the cross-license agreement between the two companies is automatically terminated for both parties. AMD and Intel have a cross-licensing agreement, which …
Read More »Intel ‘Skylake’ launch schedule revealed: CPUs to arrive in August
Intel Corp. has reportedly finalized its launch schedules for the upcoming code-named “Skylake” central processing units. According to a timetable published by a Chinese web-site, various “Skylake” chips are set to arrive to the market between August and November. Intel plans to demonstrate its next-generation “Skylake” microprocessors at its Intel …
Read More »