Power 6 Info?

[Mac-Xpert]

The Power6 info seems a little out of line with past IBM policy.

Power4 - 180nm
Power4+ - 130nm
Power5 - 130nm
Power5+ (not out yet, but mentioned in IBM docs) - 90nm

IBM tends to introduce new processors on mature manufacturing processes, and new manufacturing processes with mature processors. Doing both at once seems terribly risky for the reliability obsessed server market.

Maybe this is proof that that IBM will first release a 975/980 on this 65 nm process before they introduce the Power 6 on this process. If this slide is correct than we could possibly see a 975/980 on 65 nm somewhere mid to late 2005.

 

[kettle]

Since IBM has become the new Motorola. Look for a Power6 derived chip to be in $3000 macs in 2018.

Blue is the new black....

yesh, I thought the "fishkill" plant was supposed to be a real chip shifter.

 

[Henriok]

Since IBM has become the new Motorola. Look for a Power6 derived chip to be in $3000 macs in 2018.

Actually.. i think you are a little too optimistic regarding the price of the POWER6 processor. I wouldn't be surprised at all if this monster will sport more than one billion transistors and have in the region of 8 cores, mounted on an MCM with 4 similar procesosrs and enormous ammounts of cache. 3000 dollars would be cheap.

This photograph contains nothing new. IBM have stated for years that POWER6 will be a 65 nm design aimed at very high frequency introduced at around 2006/7. in recent light, this roadmap might be under some revision.. I think that IBM must rethink its plans to migrate to 65 nm this soon, and building its new flagship processor on such a new fab is risky.

 

[Henriok]

If this slide is correct than we could possibly see a 975/980 on 65 nm somewhere mid to late 2005.

65 nm in full production a year from now? And I thought I was optimistic. However.. Microsoft believes in IBM and they seem think that they will get a three-core PowerPC-processor running at 3.5 GHz in about a year. If MS can get large volumes of such chip, surely Apple can too. Apple wouldn't require such a large volume either.

 

[jragosta]

I remember solid state physics courses where the topic was the band gap of semiconductors. In Silicon semiconductors, the electrons can be brought from the lower to the higher energy band via thermal energy. When the electrons go back to the lower energy band, this energy is release, also in the form of heat (thermal energy).

In GaP semiconductors though, this is optical energy. 😱

So, which would you rather have it? A Powerbook G8 where you suffer 3rd degree burns when you move the mouse, or a Powerbook G8 where you have to wear sunglasses. 😎

You can tan while you're working. No more geeks who are as white as a ghost.....

 

[thelarryparis]

IBM honeymoon over

The journal has a story today about IBM and how they are pissing off thier customers becuase they can't get crap in the way of yields from thier fabrication plant.

I am sceptical of IBM currently and want to wait till November to begin to evaluate thier road map. They are not the darlings they were a year ago.

 

[ffakr]

Since IBM has become the new Motorola. Look for a Power6 derived chip to be in $3000 macs in 2018.

that's a fairly simplistic view of things isn't it? Where is Intel's .09 micron transition at? The .13 micron chips are keeping pace with the speeds of the .09 chips.. in fact for months, the Prescott was stuck at 3.2GHz while the 3.4 GHz Northwoods were shipping. AMD, OTOH, is swearing that they aren't having problems but they aren't even expected to ramp up .09 micron till next quarter. They are half a year behind IBM and Intel.

It's nice of you to trivialize the problems associated with the transition for .09 micron. You, apparently, aren't having any such issues in your chip fab.

 

[jouster]

Actually.. i think you are a little too optimistic regarding the price of the POWER6 processor. I wouldn't be surprised at all if this monster will sport more than one billion transistors and have in the region of 8 cores, mounted on an MCM with 4 similar procesosrs and enormous ammounts of cache. 3000 dollars would be cheap.

He said a POWER 6 derived chip, not an actual POWER 6. Obviously, a high end server chip will not be going in a Mac.

 

[Maxx Power]

What's the point when they have enough trouble to get 90nm right as it is ?

So what, the G6 we can use as a toaster as well as a anti-air-conditioner for when your air-conditioner gets too powerful ?
I guess the power consumption sanity of the G3 generation are values of the past, these days who cares about the environment or our future, it's all about immediate fiscal profits.

 

[King Cobra]

Since IBM has become the new Motorola. Look for a Power6 derived chip to be in $3000 macs in 2018.

No...Motorola gave us sub-300MHz upgrades, while IBM gave us a 500MHz boost from 2.0GHz to 2.5GHz. And let's not get into the 3GHz issue...it's not WWDC yet.

Actually, 2.5GHz rounded off to one significant figure is 3GHz, so when Steve presented that slide with "3GHz" in big white text, he was correct following the rules of significant figures. Happy everyone? 😀

So does this mean a G6 or a Powerbook G5? 🙄 Or even a G7

First Post!!!

It begins...again! Could you people be any more obvious?? 😡

 

[wms121]

POWER12's anyone?

...I posted some smurfy speculation a few months back about the direction IBM was heading. The picture confirms they are zealously attempting to keep re-architecturing the buses and ALU's. Notice that the top box sez "Ultra high freq cores". I went to a microwave expo last week and one item was combo Optonic/Photonic microwave modeling in 3D using newer complex software techniques. Intel had several problems because their older models ..ahem..got real ghosty above 2 GHz. Lots of stuff does. The boundaries between parametric and discrete and distributed constants can become difficult to resolve using simple linear adjustments. Temperature is one of many adjustments. Charges held at high temp are not as "clean" as low temp and low freq.

The previous posts mentioned IBM's optical people in Japan, and their network switching opto chips. Those chips if inserted in between ALU's and other core functions (read as layers ....Silicon on Sapphire can bond with several optical amplifier qualified materials) could solve bus issues by intergrating "Infiniband" directly into these chips themselves.

Notice second box below main cpu refs. "Advance Systems Architecture".

Does Intel actually understand what they are getting into here?

IBM already sells optical computers. DoD is now "formally purchasing Apple systems". MOto is croakin' in the background. The old "embedded dead or alive" Military Market is about to get very sexy.

<---wants to meet Steve at Area51...we need aluminum boxes for warp drive
(hey...you think they aren't serious? Check out:
http://www.deltagroupengineering.com )

 

[~Shard~]

My next Mac will have a Power6 in it. 😎

 

[BeoVir]

Perhaps Microsoft will develop Windows for the Power5 and switch from Intel. That would be so funny.

I hope not, windoze for Mac, urgh.... urgh.... I think I am gonna be sick.....

oh my......