New Features of Intels Next Generation ProcessorPoulson

At last week's Hot Chips conference in California, Intel released the updated architecture features of its upcoming Itanium processor with the codename as Poulson. The new architecture features include Instruction Replay, improved Hyper-Threading and new instructions and so on, aiming to use the next-generation 12-wide release architecture.

At last week's Hot Chips conference inCalifornia, Intel released the updated architecture features of its upcomingItanium processor with the codename as Poulson. The new architecture featuresinclude Instruction Replay, improved Hyper-Threading and new instructions andso on, aiming to use the next-generation 12-wide release architecture.

TheInstruction Replay technology is one of the new features, which could make thewrong instruction re-execute, and then automatically cover the serious mistakesand further help to prevent the system collapse and data damage. Additionally,this Instruction Replay technology is an important remote access servicesupdate and the first Intel chip to have the capability.

GeneralManager at Intel's Data Center Group, Pauline Nist said, utilizes a newpipeline architecture to expand error detection in order to capture transienterrors in execution. Upon error detection, instructions can then be re-executedfrom the instruction buffer queue to automatically recover from severe errorsto improve resiliency.

Besidesthese, for almost all main architectures in the Itanium electronic component core design, Poulsonadds extensive RAS (reliability, availability and serviceability) protections,including LLC (last level cache), MLI (mid-level instruction cache), MLD(mid-level data cache), IEU (integer execution unit) and FPU (floating-pointunit), etc.

Thistechnology enables the second feature, improved Hyper-Threading which bringsbetter performance and support for Dual Domain Multithreading. This allows forfront and backend pipeline execution, therefore improving Poulson'sparallelism.

Moreover,Intel is adding instructions in four areas as well. There are new integeroperations, expanded data access hints, expanded software prefetch and threadcontrol. It is worthwhile for Xeon customers to keep an eye on Itanium updatesand features because they are likely to appear in future Xeon CPUs.

The new Itanium instructions of Intelsimplify unified task and branch operations to help the future Itanium topromote into the next level.

Key points of Poulson:

Eight high capacity core

54MB memory chips (50MB of an SRAM)

Adopting 32 nm made 3.1 billion transistors

The higher, the bus speed (QPI and SMI) will increase 33%system bandwidth

The next generation of architecture improves the new dataand instructions channel, floating point channel and instruction cache.

Improve the power management function, reduce the socketpower consumption.

Compatible with the present Intel Itanium 9300 processorseries.

Intel announced that Poulson Itanium processor is themost advanced Intel processor so far which is about to launch in 2012. Thenext-generation Itanium processor followed Poulson is code-named as Kittsonwhich is being developed and would be released in 2014.