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Sun Enhances Throughput Computing Strategy with the UltraSPARC IV Processor Chip Multithreading Technology Promises Double the Current Throughput The UltraSPARCR IV processor, capable of throughput at twice the rate of the UltraSPARCR III processor, is scheduled for release in early 2004, when it will become part of Sun's throughput computing strategy for high-end and mid-range systems. The possibilities for the new processor have caught the attention of the IT community, as evidenced in the comments of In-Stat/MDR senior analyst Kevin Krewell, who has written, "We're excited to see Sun taking aggressive steps to reinvent and redefine server processor performance and challenge the industry with this daring move. With a renewed sense of excitement and challenge..., Sun is once again taking up the role of innovator and is showing it will not allow Intel's Itanium juggernaut to roll over it." Sun has put throughput computing at the center of its development strategy for network computing using the SPARCR processor and SolarisTM Operating System (Solaris OS). Combined with the Chip Multithreading (CMT) design, which enables a processor to execute multiple threads simultaneously, the UltraSPARC IV processor is expected to deliver up to 15 times the throughput of the UltraSPARC III by the time it comes to market in refined form as part of the blade platform in 2006. Like the three generations of UltraSPARC processors before it, the UltraSPARC IV processor continues the binary compatibility tradition that is part of Sun's commitment to protecting customer investment, another aspect of which is the investment protection provided for current users of the Uniboard-based Sun FireTM hardware. The initial release of the UltraSPARC IV processor will consist of two UltraSPARC III cores and include on-chip tags for 8 MB of off-chip two-way set associative Level 2 cache per core. Optimal use of the available L2 bandwidth will be ensured by a dynamic arbitration scheme. Additional features of the new processor are an on-chip memory controller with up to 16 GB of DRAM and available access to the SunTM Fireplane interconnect fabric through a system interface unit. The first version of the UltraSPARC IV processor is being built with Texas Instrument's 130 nanometer (nm) process technology, giving it an initial frequency of 1200 MHz. Later versions will employ TI's 90 nm technology node for increased clock speeds and various architectural enhancements for throughput at lease three to four times the UltraSPARC III processor.
More information on Throughput Computing can be found at:
http://www.sun.com/processors/throughput
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Sun Enhances Throughput Computing Strategy with the UltraSPARC IV Processor
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