Subj : Intel's futuristic 528-thread monster CPU may mark end of an era
To   : All
From : TechnologyDaily
Date : Wed Sep 06 2023 06:00:04

Intel's futuristic 528-thread monster CPU may mark end of an era as chip 
giant looks beyond x86

Date:
Wed, 06 Sep 2023 04:56:43 +0000

Description:
Intels RISC-based 7nm chip, designed for DARPA, can hit a theoretical 
bandwidth of 1TB/s.

FULL STORY
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Intel has unveiled a mind-boggling new chip that uses optical networking 
technology to pack 66 threads into each core, rather than the standard two. 
The result is a monstrously powerful eight-core CPU with 528 threads. 

Revealed at the Hot Chips 2023 conference, the 7nm prototype CPU is designed 
to churn through massive data processing workloads at 1TB/s. Its the first 
mesh-to-mesh photonic fabric that uses silicon photonic interconnects to link 
chips together. 

It was designed specifically for DARPAs Hierarchical Identity Verify Exploit 
(HIVE) program, according to The Register . This program is looking to build 
a graph analytics processor with a novel architecture that can process data 
at lightning speeds without consuming excessive levels of power. (Image 
credit: Intel) 

While the CPU wont be available commercially in its current form, it does 
point to an exciting direction of travel for the future of CPU architectures. 

 Intels current Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) is x86, which it developed 
in the late 1970s and has become the basis for almost all the best processors 
you can find today. But current-day CPUs run into scaling issues and arent 
efficient enough when trying to fulfill purposes such as that DARPA set out. 

Intels latest 528-thread chip, by contrast, uses a reduced instruction set 
computer (RISC) architecture . These kinds of chips are well-suited to 
parallel processing and particularly useful for specific tasks. Its vastly 
more power efficient than conventional architectures too. 

The 7nm FinFET process chip is also supplied by fabrication rival TSMC, and 
largely resembles a normal processor. It even includes a standard ball grid 
array (BGA) interface such as those found on Xeon CPUs . 

But the data it transmits uses silicon photonics chiplets, made in 
partnership with Ayar Labs, with the four chiplets converting electrical 
signals passing through the microprocessor into optical signals carried by 32 
single-mode fibers. Each fiber carries data at 32GB/s, according to Intel, 
for a maximum bandwidth of 1TB/s. In testing, however, Intel only achieved 
half of that. 

The thinking is to stitch 16 of the prototype chips together in a single Open 
Computer Project server in a sled form factor, with up to 10,000 sleds 
combined to unleash its full potential for the use case it was designed for. 
More from TechRadar Pro These are the best processors : top desktop CPUs from 
AMD and Intel RISC averse: Here's why Intel, AMD and Arm may have to up the 
ante to deal with Open hardware Core vs Xeon: Which Intel CPU should 
professionals use?



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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/pro/intels-futuristic-528-thread-monster-cpu-may-mar
k-end-of-an-era-as-chip-giant-looks-beyond-x86


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