Intel Shows 8 Core 528 Thread Processor with Silicon Photonics

Re:Intel Shows 8 Core 528 Thread Processor with Silicon Phot... by hypercube33 on Tuesday August 29, 2023 @09:10PM (#37316384)

Let's not forget Intel had issues with atom soc chips dying like crazy due to power-on-hours in things like Cisco routers, Nas and other devices around this era too. I think that had a big ripple effect on them to play a cog in their machine around 2018 or so.

Yes 10nm+++++ was a big problem, too.

Apple was also busy going independent and I think their path is to merge iOS with MacOX someday here so it makes sense to dump x86 in favor of higher control and profit margins.

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Re:Intel Shows 8 Core 528 Thread Processor with Silicon Phot... by Nevermark on Tuesday August 29, 2023 @10:23PM (#37316908)

Right. It made no sense for Apple to have complete control over most of their devices, with custom innovations moving between them, and still remain dependent on Intel for one class of devices.

Intel downsides for Apple:

1. No reliable control of schedule, specs, CPU, GPU, DPU core counts, high/low power core ratios, energy envelopes.

2. No ability to embed special Apple designed blocks (Secure Enclave, Video processing, whatever, ...)

3. Intel still hasn't moved to on-chip RAM, shared across all core-types. (As far as I know?)

4. The need to negotiate Intel chip supplies, complicated by Intel's plans for other partner's needs.

5. An inability to differentiate Mac's basic computing capabilities from every other PC that continues to use Intel.

6. Intel requiring Apple to support a second instruction architecture, and a more complex stack of software development tools.

Apple solved 1000 problems when they ditched Intel.

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Re:Intel Shows 8 Core 528 Thread Processor with Silicon Phot... by ac29 on Wednesday August 30, 2023 @02:50PM (#37327038)

> 3. Intel still hasn't moved to on-chip RAM, shared across all core-types. (As far as I know?)

Apple doesnt have on chip RAM either. They do the exact same thing PC manufacturers do: use standard off the shelf DDR.

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Re:Intel Shows 8 Core 528 Thread Processor with Silicon Phot... by Nevermark on Wednesday August 30, 2023 @07:37PM (#37330542)

Ah yes. The CPU and RAM are mounted tightly together in a system on a chip (SOC) package, so that all RAM is shared by CPU, GPU, DPU/Neural and processor cache.

I can't seem to find any Intel chips that are packaged with unified RAM like that.

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Re:Intel Shows 8 Core 528 Thread Processor with Silicon Phot... by RF_Savage on Wednesday August 30, 2023 @01:45AM (#37318139)

Yep. Got hit twice by that. Enough power on hours on those Atoms = some clock buffer dies and now your device no longer boots.

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