Intel Developing 10GHz Interface to Replace PCI Bus
Intel Corp has begun developing the technology for a high-speed serial interface, designed to replace the peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus. The point-to-point connection is designed to directly interconnect two chips.
The initial operating frequency has not been disclosed, but the firm has set 10GHz or better as the final target. Peak data transfer will be at least four times existing PCI bus performance, which is 266 Mbytes/s at 66MHz.
"This will be the same degree of change as we experienced in the change from ISA to PCI," said Louis J Burns, vice president and general manager, Desktop Platforms Group. The provisional specification for the new interface is scheduled for presentation at the Intel Developer Conference 2001, to be held in August.
The firm elected to go with serial transfer because of signal stability problems, which are even encountered with parallel point-to-point methods, like the advanced graphics port (AGP). As Burns explained, "It is difficult to run it over about a gigahertz." The firm tested the HyperTransport high-speed interface, which Advanced Micro Devices, Inc of the US is promoting as the replacement for PCI, but decided not to use it because of various technical issues.
(May 2001 Issue, Nikkei Electronics Asia) |
