The era of the multicore

Apr 2, 2007 13:05 GMT  ·  By

Why are we in such a dire need of multicore solutions? Is it because our hardware has become so outdated and old fashioned that we have no other choice but to upgrade? I don't think so, not by a long shot, the reason for continuously upgrading our technology is because we are told to do it, whether we know it or not. Having a powerful computer is necessary for software products to evolve and move freely, and most of all, move rapidly, otherwise the user might think there is a problem with either the hardware or the software.

If the computer industry, or any industry for that matter, could manufacture a product that is reliable for a decade, sales will decrease, because for ten years, people might not buy anything else. A computer, well that's the new gimmick the industry has been abusing of lately. Why it? Because when you have a product that has a life expectancy of about five years and you give it a warranty of three years, you must make it so that the user upgrades the computer in one, one and a half years, this is how you may maintain the profits rising.

So how can one person or a group convince you to change a perfectly well running processor, for example? By making you believe it is obsolete, that you need that new over-the-top processor, that you need it, you desire it, you can't sleep at night if you don't have it. New software products and games tell you that they work better on that type of processor, with that much memory and those video cards, and you want to buy it, because that's what you are told to do, it's that simple. One company is making the step towards multicore processing by the acquisition of another: ARC International has taken over Teja to help in their VRaptor Multicore Architecture.

Carl Schlachte, president and CEO of ARC International, said: "Teja is a recognized technology provider of multicore software platforms to semiconductor companies and OEMs globally. Its renowned engineering and R&D staff will extend ARC s technical leadership and help advance the development of platforms for ARC s next-generation solutions. Furthermore, the acquisition brings an immediate benefit to ARC s customers targeting the networking segment, as well as a strategic benefit for the evolution of the VRaptor Multicore Architecture."