ARM unveils next-gen, 2.5GHz Cortex-A15 processor

Re:ARM unveils next-gen, 2.5GHz Cortex-A15 processor by mansr on Friday September 10, 2010 @05:42AM (#1678351)

When power is a major concern, and that is the applications ARM is targeting, using a 64-bit system when 32-bit would suffice is counter-productive. A 64-bit CPU naturally requires more transistors and thus more power than a 32-bit one. There are other overheads (in OS etc) associated with a 64-bit system. The difference may not be great, but for many applications it is a cost with no reward.

Comparing to MIPS, they have had a 64-bit ISA variant for a very long time, yet all the recent cores have been 32-bit as this is all their current target markets require.

A full 64-bit system is really required only for HPC-type applications, a domain currently owned by Intel and IBM. If ARM are interested in eating into this market segment, it is most likely a very long-term goal, and obtaining a foothold in the 32-bit server space would serve as a first step in that direction.

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Re:ARM unveils next-gen, 2.5GHz Cortex-A15 processor by froydnj on Friday September 10, 2010 @08:32AM (#1678614)

Networking equipment is another place where 64-bit systems are useful. See chip offerings from places like NetLogic and Cavium, for instance: their multicore MIPS chips are 64-bit.

Databases are another place where 64-bit systems shine. Maybe you already assumed that was included under "HPC-type applications", though. When I hear HPC, I think number-crunching, not databases, though.

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