<font color=orange>Summary of Louis Burns IDF Keynote.
- The challenge: "Make any device interact Seemlessly with any other device, anytime, anywhere in the world."
- 3GIO progress to date: 60+ companies already involved in the standard; PCI-SIG Developer Conference to take place in June.
- 1.0 Spec for 3GIO to be delivered to PCI-SIG by end of quarter. Design guides and validation tools due out in the second half of the year.
- Initial 3GIO silicon due out in second half of 2003.
- 90nm Prescott processor due out in second half 2003. Prescott is a Netburst based processor with micro-architectural enhancements.
- Demonstration of 4GHz Pentium 4 processor under Windows XP. Started at 3.9GHz, and moved up to 4GHz while in Windows. Exotic cooling was required.
- Hyperthreading will be enabled in desktop processors in 2003. Efforts will be made to ensure Hyperthreaded desktop applications in the Prescott time frame.
- 2003 Concept Platform: Pentium 4 processor with integrated or discrete graphics, wireless 802.11b/a, Gigabit ethernet, USB 2.0, and Serial ATA. This concept will be defined first as a Preliminary Platform Vision right now, there will be a Reference Platform at Fall IDF, and it will launch in the second half of 2003.
- Challenges in Form Factors: 1) Expand Thermal Envelope, 2) Improved Acoustics, 3) Manage EMI, 4) Cost Effective Power Supply. Video is shown to demonstrate progress in these initiatives.
- Heatsink is shown with curved, swirling fins emanating from a copper core. Very interesting technology, and it offers much better heat dispersion. A newer shaped fan also brings in air from the sides. It is expected to even cost less than current solutions.
- Smaller 9 liter (9L) form factor design can dissipate 83W from the processor - more than enough for current technology. Acoustic levels at or below 35dB. These smaller form factors are in high demand by Intel's customers.
- Future heatsink concepts use "heat pipes" rather than copper for better conductivity. Future form factor concepts allow for very good acoustics in the range of 23dB.
- A tradeoff with case design is in air vents. The larger the vents, the more air, but also leads to higher EMI emissions. To solve this, you can create vents that have more depth, and current concept designs can allow for processors running up to 8GHz.
- Demonstrates a 2.6L box from Toshiba that can actually reliably house a .18u 1.8GHz Pentium 4. (2.6L is very small - it practically fits in the Palm of Louis' hand).
- Form Factor concepts are good, but the industry desires standards. Intel announced two new standards for small form factors - "Tidewater" and "Bigwater", the former of which is a 9L package that can use uATX style boards, and the latter of which is completely new and revolutionary 6L box (one year out - looks like a Playstation 2).
- New "Usage" Model. 2001 was the "Extended PC" with the launch of Pentium 4. This makes use of digital video, cameras, Internet, etc. 2002 is a further extension. It simplifies by adding components and features that people want (i.e. ripping music CDs). 2003 is "Network at Home". Instead of crowding around one PC that can download music, for example, PCs will be able to network remotely to share all the data.
- Demonstration of Home Networking using Universal Plug&Play. Shows a TV equipped to view digital images and video from the PC. They bring out a PDA that links with the TV, and other TVs in the household to broadcast content to various places.
- Second demonstration uses a Universal Plug&Play Gateway to access content from "outside the home". A PDA is able to access images from the home by remotely logging in.
- Digital convergence at home. 802.11 enables this convergence. Need to have "Interoperability", "Industry Standards", and "Common Building Blocks". Work is early, though, and more information will come from Fall IDF.
So platforms are evolving, and Intel looks to be ahead of the game in offering new kinds of form factors and next-generation connectivity.
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