Quad-core “Bloomfield” debuts Q4 2008, octo-core to come in 2009.
Fudo is reporting today that according to Intel’s latest roadmap, the octo-core versions of Nehalem will not debut until 2009. Intel’s Nehalem architecture is the next tick in Intel’s “tick-tock” processor launch strategy. Outlined near the launch of ICM, better known as Core 2 Duo, Intel’s tick-tock strategy is a cyclical schedule of revolutionary and evolutionary processor launches. Currently we are on a tock with Yorkfield and Wolfsdale, their umbrella term “Penryn” being the evolutionary counterpart to Conroe and Yorkfield. The underlying premise of the tick-tock strategy is that Intel will be releasing a new process technology with an enhanced or totally new underlying microarchitecture every year. The move to 45nm with Penryn is the former, while Nehalem represents a brand new architecture and will constitute the first official tock.
Intel’s roadmaps also indicate that they will be launching the first versions of Nehalem, which will be quad-core, toward the end of the year. Intel has previously shown working Nehalem processors to the press and industry representatives at the Intel Developer Forum in September 2007.
The new microarchitecture that constitutes Nehalem will be probably the biggest architectural change in microprocessing history since the launch of the Pentium Pro in 1995. Nehalem will be the first Intel processor to feature an integrated memory controller, something pioneered by AMD to great success with the Athlon 64. The integrated DDR3 (at first) memory controller on Nehalem will be capable of up to 4 channels (as opposed to current dual channel). Desktop versions of the chip, to be developed under the codenames “Bloomfield”, “Lynnfield”, and “Havendale”, will feature either dual or triple channel memory controllers, depending on the SKU. High-end quad-core Bloomfield processors will have a TDP of 130W and feature 8MB of shared L3 cache. Intel is calling the point-to-point interconnect it is using on Nehalem “QuickPath”. This technology will be very similar to what AMD has with HyperTransport, and will supposedly sport performance numbers of up to 6.4 GT/s in the short term. Nehalem cores will also be dual-threaded, similar to the ‘HyperThreading’ feature found on many of Intel’s NetBurst-based microprocessors (Pentium 4). Mainstream Havendale and Lynnfield processors from Intel will feature some sort of integrated GPU, presumably similar to what AMD is trying to accomplish with Fusion. There are limited details on this as of now, but we will certainly keep you up to date as we get more information.
Obviously Q4 2008 is quite a ways away, but enthusiast communities around the net are already buzzing with anticipation for the new chips. If they come anywhere close to living up the standard Intel has been setting lately, then the buzz will be very much justified.
Sourcel: Fudzilla
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