Intel processors to save power

Intel will this week preview forthcoming multi-core processor technologies for servers, desktops and laptops at its developer forum in San Francisco.

Highlights will include details of a new server processor that sources said will be much more efficient than current Pentium 4 NetBurst architecture.

Intel chief Paul Otellini will explain how a new micro-architecture will enable the new chips to do more work than current Pentium 4 or Xeon-based systems at the same clock speeds. The new low-power-consumption chips will be particularly valuable in datacentres, where firms are finding it increasingly expensive to dissipate the heat produced by processors.

Other enhancements will make forthcoming Intel chips a much better option for multimedia applications such as the encoding of films and audio – features of interest to a small number of commercial customers and to a potentially massive market of home users.

Otellini will also give details of new four-core processors, including a four-core Itanium chip codenamed Tukwila. Experts say that over the coming years virtually all processors from Intel and its competitor AMD will be based on multi-core designs. Multicore chips enable multiple central processing units (CPUs) to be put into a computer via a single processor socket. The technique improves performance and reduces the cost of building multiprocessor systems.

However, using more processors in a system in this way puts more load on the system’s front-side bus, which connects the processors to RAM. Intel will detail new bus speeds for some forthcoming chips. But with more efficient processors operating at high- er speeds, the forthcoming busses might not be fast enough to prevent bottlenecks.

For laptop users, Intel executive Sean Maloney will detail a new platform, codenamed Napa, which is likely to launch early next year. It is expected to include a new dual-core processor plus a chipset with wireless LAN support. Intel will also report on progress towards its goal of delivering a portable PC capable of operating from a single battery charge for eight hours.