I just have to comment on the 123Jump article included in message 310. It's not an unfair evaluation, but it is full of factual errors that are sort of scary.
McCarron points out that, in the past, companies such as Digital (now owned by Compaq) tried the software emulation approach with its Alpha processors but ran into the same performance degradation problems.
Digital made software emulators (called something like X86!) and binary compilers. The first is an application that can decode X86 binaries and lets you run the applications on an alpha, the second is a program which translates X86 binaries into native Alpha binaries (so you can run them directly). Neither one has anythinig to do with Transmeta, where all the "emulation" is all done on chip. The statement is just plain ridiculous--they are night and day different processes.
[CISC processors stop the processor to save power] In doing so, the processor may shut off at a critical moment in an application operation. For the user this can be perceptible and annoying ? especially during movies.
and then, the famous comment made every year for the last ten,
For most consumer applications a 500 Mhz processor is more than enough unless used for gaming, and how many gamers buy laptops?
So a good example of the "problem" of a microprocessor going into sleep mode is during a soft DVD decoding process? That is precisely the sort of application that would run poorly on a Transmeta, and an excellent example of the sort of application someone might want a fast processor for a mobile computer. And why on a portable? On my last flight out of town, I watched The Matrix DVD on my laptop (a 700MHz Intel IBM T20 speed-stepping down to 550MHz). The thing never skipped or jerked, but I had just barely enough juice to watch the whole thing. DVD's are the best application for a mobile computer yet, and a great argument for why people want performance AND low power, and would prefer performance over low power.
However, this design concept has a drawback ? the greater the number of metal transistors, the greater the power consumption and, consequently, the greater the build up of heat.
Transistors are made from silicon, interconnect is made from metal. They both do get hot.
By switching more of the complex processing to software you eliminate the number of transistors on the chip and thus reduce the cost of manufacturing. In fact, the cost of Transmeta's chips range from $119 to $329, as opposed to Intel's mobile Pentium III products which typically range from $508 to $722.
I think you have to scale those numbers for performance! Transmeta's chips are priced cheaper because (1) they are lower performance and (2) there is no demand. Intel and AMD sell plenty of chips in the $119 to $329 range. As I argued before, I suspect Intel (and to a lesser extent AMD) pays a lot less to manufacture a chip than Transmeta.
Intel has consistently introduced new CISC based products in two-year cycles over the past ten years. If it were to start from scratch, by perhaps switching closer to RISC processing or other technologies, it would indicate that development time for a new product could ostensibly double the current two-year Intel cycle.
OK, this is speculation of my part (but no more so than the author), but Intel would have to be the stupidest company in the world to develop a new architecture (i.e. adopt RISC) to address this problem. They already have the core logic--they aren't going to redesign it again for a mobile processor (even if they have the deep pockets and know-how to throw at it). They can just design in the core logic around a smarter power management, which is what everyone does already. If they really said anything about "doing something new," I would guess that means they are just going to put more people on project of reducing power--maybe even some new devices or process tweaks--but they aren't going to build from scratch (or maybe I'm giving Craig Barrett too much credit!).
Anyway, that's all I have to say. I just get irked by factual and logical errors in the press, particularly when they sound so reasonable.
Regards,
Steve |
