The AMD Opteron™ Processor for High-end Embedded Designs

The AMD Opteron™ Processor for High-end Embedded Designs

Providing a balanced approach to embedded system design

The AMD Opteron™ processor provides a breakthrough in high-performance, low power processing for edge-of-enterprise markets including storage and telecommunications, as well as more traditional embedded markets such as security and medical imaging, military systems, and single-board computing.

AMD64 technology with Direct Connect Architecture provides a balanced foundation for embedded systems. Based on the industry-standard x86 platform, AMD64 delivers the right match of processing power, memory performance, I/O throughput, and scalability. Add the vision of 32- and 64-bit application support with native multi-core computing in a consistent thermal envelope and many embedded designers are finding their next-generation systems deliver record-breaking application performance.

What can a leading processor platform offer?

AMD Opteron processors with Direct Connect Architecture can improve overall system performance and efficiency by helping eliminate traditional bottlenecks inherent in legacy architectures where legacy front-side buses restrict and interrupt the flow of data. With AMD Opteron processors, there are no front-side buses. Instead, the processors, memory, and I/O are directly connected to the CPU and communicate at CPU speed. Further, the integrated memory controller dramatically reduces memory latency while HyperTransport™ technology delivers the industry’s highest I/O bandwidth. Data speeds through the system without encountering the traditional front-side bus bottleneck of competing x86 platforms. In addition to the architectural benefits inherent in Direct Connect Architecture, the AMD Opteron processor offers the following unique advantages for high-end embedded systems:

HyperTransport technology provides up to 24.0GB/s peak bandwidth per processor

On-die integrated memory controller offers available memory bandwidth up to 10.7GB/s (with DDR2-667) per processor

Hardware assisted AMD Virtualization™ in AMD Opteron processors with DDR2 helps streamline the efficiency of multiple servers and provides virtual machine memory isolation for improved security

AMD PowerNow!™ technology with Optimized Power Management can deliver performance on demand while minimizing power consumption

DDR2-based platforms can upgrade to quad-core AMD Opteron processors when they are available in 2007 within existing power and thermal envelopes for significantly better performance-per-watt

Reliable, scalable

It’s a fact that reliability is key in selecting embedded system components. AMD Opteron processors are NEBS-friendly, supporting telecommunications industry requirements for reliability. AMD64 technology provides features like Error Correcting Code (ECC) and JTAG interfaces for effective debug during system development. Additionally, Direct Connect Architecture requires fewer chips on the motherboard, further enhancing a system’s overall reliability. The AMD Opteron processor provides unique scalability options with glueless multi-processing from one socket (2 core) to 8 socket (16 core) systems. This, combined with AMD64’s reliability, helps provide an embedded design that can give customers a long-range plan for the life cycle of their systems.

Beyond outstanding processors: Longevity, exceptional design support, quick time to market The AMD64 Longevity Program ensures that the high-performance processors you select for an embedded design will be available for a longer than standard time frame. AMD understands the unique requirements of the embedded market and our AMD64 Longevity Program is in place to maximize the available choice of leadingedge x86 processors – delivering a wide range of performance, power, thermal, and packaging features. AMD has a strong design support program in place. From RDKs to extensive and readily available documentation to a suite of leading debug tools, our goal is to make your design cycle quick and efficient, and to help you get your embedded products on the market quickly. Add this to the improved time to market achieved with utilizing commercial off-the-shelf products like the industry-standard x86 AMD Opteron processor.

What about performance-per-watt?

It’s a growing concern from the data center to embedded systems – how to increase computing performance without incurring excess power draw, additional cooling requirements, or taking up more space in either real estate or form factor. AMD was first to recognize that the processor could offer part of the solution in reducing total cost of ownership. • Microprocessor architecture – AMD64 processor design helps reduce the overall system power budget with integration of the North Bridge, while multi-core processors offer increased performance, with higher compute density and scalability • Low power processors – AMD provides a stable,

consistent roadmap with a variety of wattage options • Low operational costs – reduced power draw and heat

dissipation means lower data center energy costs. Features like AMD PowerNow!™ technology with Optimized Power Management delivers performance on demand and minimizes power consumption • AMD Opteron processors with DDR2 offer a seamless upgrade path to quad-core computing in the same power and thermal envelope

AMD and Dell sign deal for millions of chips

WE HAVE LEARNED of a knees-up held in Mikey's Dell house in Texas, where execs from AMD and Dell gathered in and around the hot tub, to browse through a wodge of legal papers.

The shindig marked the signing of a pact between the one-time Intel-only computer-maker and the upstart chip maker.

And it appears that AMD just pulled biggest coup in the history of chippery, whatever it turns out in sales results.

The event was concluded with a deal about "No Leaks" policy, but the magnitude of the news was such in both companies that there was no way it wouldn't get to lower segments of the company.

According to our molars, Dell's AMD-powered offerings will include the full range of desktops, notebooks, workstations with a clear marketing focus on student notebooks for an initial Back-To-School line-up.

The AMD-Dell deal not only includes 4P servers or 2P servers but is more focused on desktop and notebook side of things. The CPUs in question are single and dual-core Athlon 64s, Semprons and of course, Opterons. While we have no information about the timings new line of Dell XPS desktops, the notebook side of the thing is getting prepped as we right now.

The computers will be advertised as "Windows Vista Premium Ready", and the graphics mix is likely to come from Nvidia side for now.

ATI will be in with a sniff too, since Dell will use Captain Canuck's components in Intel and AMD mobile SKUs.

The workstation deal is pretty simple to understand: AMD is a favourite in Hollywood and is making great strides in other industries as well. The Opteron Quadro combo has been taking market share for years, and Dell did not like the look on the combination in IBM and HP offerings, yet alone specialist companies like Boxx Technologies.

If you're still wondering why a market-share leading company like Dell might take the risk and go the competitor's route at the time when new marchitecture from its primary partner is probably set to rock the world, there is only one simple reason: Supply.

Dell can get Conroes and a great share of WoodCrests and take a ticket to stand in line for Meroms, which are scheduled to be split between Apple and Lenovo. No other manufacturer will get anywhere near the volumes of these two, and Dell just does not like to be on a short leash. Especially if it spends valuable TV air-time and paper ads on products that look likely to be put on a back-order.

This autumn is gearing up to be the most interesting one in a long time. And the AMD-Dell deal looks likely to stay.

Next Leap in Microprocessor Architecture: Intel® Core™ Duo Processor

Based on dual-core technology, Intel® Core™ Duo rewrites the rules of computing and
delivers breakthrough performance with amazingly low power consumption.† Intel Core Duo processor is at the heart of Intel’s premium desktop and notebook platforms: Intel® Viiv™ Technology and Intel® Centrino® Duo mobile technology, respectively.

More Efficient Use of Power

Demand for greater power efficiency in compute platforms is on the rise across all client segments and form factors. Intel Core Duo processor balances great dual-core computing capabilities with power savings that enable improved battery life in notebooks. Its enhanced voltage efficiency supports cooler and quieter system designs as compared to traditional desktop-type PCs. Traditional mobile and desktop processors limit system design options. Users find they must compromise in areas such as cooling fan noise, battery life, performance and capabilities. With Intel Core Duo, the world’s most innovative PC manufacturers can drive a new generation in computer product designs and meet end consumer needs more effectively.

Specialized Dual-Core Microarchitecture

The Intel Core Duo processor includes two mobileoptimized execution cores in a single processor. This design enables execution of parallel threads or applications on separate cores with dedicated CPU resources. The results are outstanding performance and greater system response when running multiple demanding applications simultaneously. Performance on multi-threaded applications is also enhanced.† The Intel Core Duo processor features a highperformance core architecture that uses micro-op fusion and Advanced Stack Management techniques to maximize performance while optimizing energy efficiencies at the same time. Micro-op fusion combines micro-ops derived from the same macro-op. Advanced Stack Management reduces the number of micro-ops in stack-related operations by tracking relative stack pointer changes locally. Reducing the number of micro-ops results in more efficient scheduling and “on-demand”performance at lower power.

Innovative Features

Intel® Smart Cache

The Intel Core Duo processor features a shared 2MB Level-2 cache with Advanced Transfer Cache Architecture. A system bus between the two execution cores delivers a smarter and more efficient cache and bus design, enabling enhanced dual-core performance and power savings. Intel Smart Cache gives the active execution core access to the full 2MB cache when the other execution core is idle. Dynamic cache allocation across both cores enhances performance and reduces cache under-utilization and misses.

Efficient data sharing between both cores minimizes front side bus traffic and reduces cache coherency complexity. The enhanced Data Pre-fetch Logic in the processor can fetch data to the L2 cache before cache requests occur, reducing bus cycle penalties. The Intel Core Duo processor includes the Data Cache

Unit Streamer, which enhances the performance of the L2 pre-fetcher by requesting L1 warm-ups earlier. The Writer Order Buffer depth is enhanced to help with the write-back latency performance, and the centralized Intel Smart Cache control logic enables power optimization and power savings.

Power-Optimized 667 MHz System Bus A split-transaction, deferred reply protocol is used by the system bus in the Intel Core Duo processor. The Front Side Bus (FSB) uses Source-Synchronous Transfer (SST) of

address and data to improve performance by transferring data at four times per bus clock (4X data transfer rate, or AGP 4X). It is also referred to as “quad-pumped.” The address bus can deliver addresses two times per bus clock which is referred to as a “double-clocked” or 2X address bus. Working together, the 4X data bus and the 2X address bus provide a data bus bandwidth of up to 5.33 GB/second. The FSB uses Advanced Gunning Transceiver Logic (AGTL+) signaling technology, a variant of GTL+ signaling technologywith low power enhancements. Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology Support The Intel Core Duo processor features Enhanced Intel Speed-Step® Technology support at multiple voltage and frequency operating points.

Highlights of this technology include:

• Multiple performance modes ranging from the Lowest Frequency Mode (LFM) to Highest Frequency Mode (HFM) enable optimum performance at the lowest power.

• Real-time dynamic switching of the voltage and frequency between multiple performance modes, based on CPU demand. This occurs by switching the bus ratios, core operating voltage, and core processor speeds without resetting the PC.

• Software control of voltage and frequency operating points.

• Very low transition latency.

• 32KB Level 1 Instruction and Data Caches. Both Instruction and Data Caches on the Intel Core Duo processor are 32KB in size. Large L1 caches provide fast access to critical instructions and data, resulting in very high performance.

Advanced Branch Prediction

The Intel Core Duo processor features an advanced branch prediction architecture that combines three types of predictors—Global, Bi-Modal and Loop Detector. The processor automatically selects the most optimal algorithm to use, significantly reducing the number of mispredicted branches. Execute Disable Bit The Execute Disable Bit feature, combined with a supporting operating system, allows memory to be marked as executable or non executable. If code attempts to run in non executable memory the processor raises an error to the operating system. This feature can prevent some classes of viruses or worms that exploit buffer overrun vulnerabilities and can thus help improve the overall security of the system. Micro FCPGA and FCBGA Packaging Technology The Intel Core Duo processor utilizes socket Micro Flip-Chip Pin Grid Array (Micro-FCPGA) and surface mount Micro Flip-Chip Ball Grid Array (Micro-FCBGA) package technology. These packages are optimized for a range of thinner, lighter designs, including those that are less than one inch thick and deliver outstanding performance. The Micro-FCPGA package plugs into a 479-hole, surface-mount, Zero Insertion Force (ZIF) socket, referred to as the mPGA479M socket.

Ubuntu 7.04 Wins a "100 Best Products of 2007 Award" from PC World

LONDON, May 23, 2007 – Ubuntu 7.04, commercially sponsored by Canonical Ltd., was honored by PC World with a 100 Best Products of 2007 Award. The article is available now on PCWorld.com, and will also be featured in the July 2007 issue of PC World, which hits newsstands June 12.

Ubuntu is the award-winning Linux distribution for the desktop, laptop, thin client and server which brings together the best of open source software every 6 months. Version 7.04 launched in April as a secure, feature-rich alternative to Microsoft Windows. Recently, Canonical has announced partnerships with leading technology companies including Dell, VMware and Zimbra to expand the distribution's reach.

The respected 100 Best Products Awards honor products that meld practical features with innovation and reflect the rapidly changing technology marketplace. To select the winners, PC World’s editors examined hundreds of products, including those that have appeared in the magazine over the past 12 months. The 100 winning products and services were selected for their exemplary design and usability, features, performance, and innovation.

“Products that win PC World’s 100 Best Products of 2007 Awards set the standard for excellence in the IT and consumer electronics industries,” stated Harry McCracken, vice-president/editor in chief of PC World. “From notebooks and security software to MP3 players and smartphones, the editors reward the most outstanding performers in this annual awards program. Congratulations to Ubuntu 7.04.”

"Our goal is to make free software widely available to users and businesses in a commercially sustainable manner. To be ranked 16th by a leading consumer IT publication such as PC World is a strong endorsement of that approach,” said Jane Silber, director of Operations, Canonical Ltd. "We hope that our position as the top open source project on PC World's list will encourage even more people to try Ubuntu and perhaps explore the broad range of other open source technologies that are available."

About Canonical and Ubuntu

Canonical, the commercial sponsor of Ubuntu, is a global organisation headquartered in Europe committed to the development, distribution and support of open source software products and communities. World-class 24x7 commercial support for Ubuntu is available through Canonical's global support team and partners. Since its launch in October 2004 Ubuntu has become one of the most highly regarded Linux distributions with millions of users around the world. Ubuntu will always be free to download, free to use and free to distribute to others. With these goals in mind, Ubuntu aims to be the most widely used Linux system, and is the centre of a global open source software ecosystem.

Download Ubuntu from www.ubuntu.com/download. To learn about commercial support for Ubuntu, Kubuntu and Edubuntu, please see www.canonical.com/support. For more information visit www.canonical.com or www.ubuntu.com.