Intel 48-Core Chips Is a 'Single-Chip Cloud Computer'

Intel's plans for the future of personal computing include a 48-core processor that the Santa Clara, California-based chip maker has nicknamed “single-chip cloud computer.” The solution, revealed by the world's leading chip maker, is expected to enable a new perspective on the way computers are built and the way users will interact with future computers. Featuring 10 to 20 times the processing engines inside the company's current Core-branded processors, the new Intel chip is part of a research goal that will bring about an impressive number of scaling features.

“With a chip like this, you could imagine a cloud datacenter of the future which will be an order of magnitude more energy efficient than what exists today, saving significant resources on space and power costs,” said Justin Rattner, head of Intel Labs and Intel's Chief Technology Officer. “Over time, I expect these advanced concepts to find their way into mainstream devices, just as advanced automotive technology such as electronic engine control, air bags and anti-lock braking eventually found their way into all cars.”

According to available details, these 48-core chips, dubbed 48 IA, have been built using the company's 45nm process technology and feature dual core clusters that work in a power envelope of between 25 and 125W, representing a 3x improvement in the performance per watt. In addition, the chip also includes a high-speed on-chip network, designed for sharing information.

Moreover, the company said that it planned to develop about 100 or more of these experimental chips, in an attempt to provide software developers with the necessary tools for developing new software applications and programming models. Furthermore, the chip maker will integrate key features in a new line of Core-branded chips, due out early next year, while future six-core and eight-core processors are expected to debut later in 2010.