Multi-core processor: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 12:45, 20 January 2006

Revision as of 17:53, 20 January 2006

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==Commercial examples==

*[[IBM|International Business Machines (IBM)]]'s [[POWER4]], released in [[2000]]

*IBM's [[IBM POWER|POWER5]] dual-core chip is now in production, and the company has a [[PowerPC 970|PowerPC 970MP]] dual-core processor in production and is in use in the Apple PowerMac G5.

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==Licensing==

Another issue that has surfaced in recent business development is the controversy over whether multi core processors should be treated as separate CPUs for software licensing requirements. Typically enterprise server software is licensed per processor, and some software manufacturers feel that dual core processors, while a single CPU, should be treated as two processors and the customer should be charged for two licenses - one for each core. However, the trend seems to be counting dual-core chips as a single processor as Microsoft, IBM, Intel, and AMD support this view. Oracle counts AMD and Intel dual-core CPUs as a single processor but has other funny numbers for other types. IBM and Microsoft count a multi-chip-module as multiple processors. If multi-chip-modules counted as one processor then CPU makers would have an incentive to make large expensive multi-chip-modules so their customers saved on software licensing. So it seems like the industry is slowly heading towards counting each die as a processor, no matter how many cores each die has. Intel has released Paxville which is really a multi-chip-module but Intel is calling it a dual-core. It is not clear yet how licensing will work for Paxville. This is an unresolved and thorny issue for software companies and customers.

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==External links==

* [http://www.mdronline.com/publications/mpw/issues/mpw034.html IBM's Power4 Wins Microprocessor Report Technology Award] – Microprocessor Watch, Issue #34, 27 January 2000

* [http://news.com.com/Dual-core+chips+bring+dual+caches/2100-1006_3-5323961.html?tag=nefd.top Dual-core chips bring dual caches] – By Michael Kanellos, CNET News.com, 25 August 2004

* [http://www.internetnews.com/ent-news/article.php/3496926 Intel Third in race to Ship Dual Core] – By Michael Singer, internetnews.com, 12 April 2005

*[http://www.amd.com/us-en/Corporate/VirtualPressRoom/0,,51_104_543_544~97108,00.html AMD Announces World's First 64-Bit, x86 Multi-Core Processors For Servers And Workstations At Second-Anniversary Celebration Of AMD Opteron? Processor]

*[http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/TechnicalResources/0,,30_182_869_2353,00.html AMD HyperTransport? Technology]