Intel has developed a processor capable of dynamically adapting its characteristics (frequency, voltage, etc.) depending on its environment.Currently, chipmakers have a habit of intentionally stunting the processors' maximum performance in order to improve heat dissipation and increase their overall lifespan.
In their latest prototype, Intel has included a mechanism for detecting errors in real time in memory caches and bit execution. The monitoring system sends its data to a controller, which adjusts in the frequency and voltage of the chip in real-time for each instruction. The goal is to always run the chip at the maximum frequency, but retain the lowest possible voltage.
Contrary to what one might expect, the inherent increase in errors, and the correction of them, does not seem to introduce a measurable performance loss; any losses being offset by the gain in clock frequency. Intel declares that a chip equipped with this technology can achieve 41% better performance than its nearest vanilla equivalent.
These processors are still purely laboratory-level at the moment, but Intel believes that the technology is approaching the point where integration into consumer processors is a profitable possibility in the near future.
Source: Research@Intel
KaySL
On: 02/22/10
