An examination of the design weaknesses in the Intel Itanium
processor and speculation on the many possible ways that the 2nd
generation McKinley processor could have improved on Itanium.
Making a Mountain Out of a Molehill
Compaq Sacrifices Alpha
Paul muses about the recent Compaq/Intel agreement, and the apparent demise of the Alpha processor design. What does it mean for high-end system users, and who will compete with Intel now?
The Battle in 64 bit Land Revisited
This is an update of ‘The Looming Battle in 64 bit Land’. The milestones achieved by each of the major players over the past 12 months are reviewed and the near future competitive prospects of the major 64 bit microprocessor families are examined.
A Better Crystal Ball
An examination of the factors that have complicated computer
performance analysis since the halcyon days of the 8 bit MPU
and how statistical methods are used to overcome them.
Countdown to IA-64
A summary of the long and twisted road taken by Intel and HP’s EPIC/VLIW research program and an examination of the issues and unknowns leading up to the roll-out of Merced/Itanium, the first IA-64 processor.
Notes from ISSCC 2001
Paul DeMone gives a rundown of the interesting papers on microprocessor design from the last ISSCC Conference.
Alpha EV8 (Part 3): Simultaneous Multi-Threat
Paul DeMone has completed the final installment of the EV8 SMT series, wher hel looks at the potential performance and compares it with it’s competitors (IA-64, Power4, etc.).
Alpha EV8 (Part 2): Simultaneous Multi-Threat
Part 2 of a 3-part series on the Alpha EV8. It describes the path leading up to the EV8 and offers a look at its general design and operational characteristics.
Alpha EV8 (Part 1): Simultaneous Multi-Threat
Part 1 of a 3-part series on the Alpha EV8. It describes the path leading up to the EV8 and offers a look at its general design and operational characteristics.