What does the future hold for processors? We expect more speed and less power consumption, lurking behind unassuming code names such as Ivy Bridge, Piledriver, and Tegra 3.

1. December 29, 2011
batteryfast.co.uk
CES 2012: What to Expect From CPUs
Crossing the Sandy Bridge
W
hat does the future hold for processors?
We expect more speed and less power
consumption, lurking behind unassu-
ming code names such as Ivy Bridge, Piledriver,
and Tegra 3.
As the brains of most every modern computing
gadget, the central processing unit or CPU is an in-
dispensable part of every desktop, laptop, phone,
or tablet. The processor crunches the numbers and
assigns the tasks, and it’s one of the chief pieces of
hardware that determine how thick your laptop is
or how long your phone’s battery will last.
Every year, these slabs of silicon get smaller, stron-
ger, and more energy-efficient. That’s good news for
gadget mavens, as devices become faster, lighter,
and generally more impressive as a result. Next In the desktop and laptop markets, there are two
year will be no exception. In this article, I’ll look at major players: Intel and AMD. Of the two, Intel has
http://www.batteryfast.co.uk/battery-technology/ces-2012-what-to-expect-from-cpus/
what’s expected from Intel, AMD, and Nvidia. It’s a gained more traction this year, bringing a number
bit too soon to tell how things will shake out–expect of powerful, popular components to market–with
big announcements from the CES tech trade show the promise of much more to come in the next year.
in January–but I’ll try to fill in some of the blanks.
Intel operates on what it calls a “tick-tock” cycle.
With every “tick,” Intel introduces a new manu-
facturing process. In 2010, Intel’s “Clarkdale” des-
ktop processors reduced the company’s Nehalem
microarchitecture to 32 nanometers, delivering im-
proved performance and energy savings. With every
“tock,” Intel introduces a new microarchitecture.
In 2011, we got Sandy Bridge CPUs, which deliver
superior performance to their Clarkdale predeces-
sors while cutting power costs and improving the
integrated graphics performance.
We’ll see the next “tick” in 2012, when Intel shrinks
the Sandy Bridge microarchitecture down to the
22-nanometer process. The resulting new CPUs,
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2. December 29, 2011
batteryfast.co.uk
CES 2012: What to Expect From CPUs
code-named Ivy Bridge, promise even better power that of a Sandy Bridge CPU while consuming less
savings and performance, much as the last two pro- power, and it will offer greater performance while
cessor generations did. consuming the same amount of power. That means
you’ll see laptops that provide better battery life
Smaller Is Better without sacrificing speed, as well as faster desktops
that are easier on your utility budget.
Under the Hood
Intel’s Desktop Platform RoadmapIntel has offered
no confirmation of what the Ivy Bridge lineup will
look like, but leaked reports obtained by Xbit Labs
give some information on the new processor line’s
naming convention, as well as its CPU frequencies.
The new CPUs will purportedly follow the standard
naming convention for Intel’s Core processors, fal-
ling into the 3000 series (Sandy Bridge was the 2000
series).
A refresher: Traditionally Intel divides the Core plat-
form into three segments–Core i3 at the low end,
Core i5 for the midrange, and Core i7 at the high end.
Following that designation is a model number. You
may also see a suffix at the end of the model num-
http://www.batteryfast.co.uk/battery-technology/ces-2012-what-to-expect-from-cpus/
ber: K for unlocked processors, S for “performance-
Most of the information we have about Ivy Bridge optimized” processors, or T for “power-optimized”
comes from the Intel Developer’s Forum held earlier processors. The S and T variants are generally for
this year, plus the occasional leaked PowerPoint OEM use only–expect to see them in desktops and
presentation. Of primary importance is Intel’s die laptops on retail shelves. An unlocked, higher-end
shrink, which moves from the 32-nanometer process Ivy Bridge CPU, for example, could be named the
to the 22-nanometer process. Switching to a smaller Intel Core i7-3770K.
die size allows processor manufacturers to create
chips that draw less energy. We also know that Ivy Bridge will be compatible with
the LGA 1155 socket–great news for Sandy Bridge
Earlier this year Intel unveiled the 3D “tri-gate” owners, who may not need to buy an entirely new
transistor technology that it has implemented to motherboard to upgrade. And if you just dropped a
make the transition to the 22-nanometer process. few hundred dollars on Intel’s Sandy Bridge Extreme
The new transistors are smaller, faster, and more Edition processor, don’t worry: When I met with
power-efficient, and will be key to the performance Intel representatives, they told me that Ivy Bridge
gains that Intel claims we’ll see with Ivy Bridge. Extreme Edition will use the LGA 2011 socket, so
you too have a clear upgrade path.
But what does all of that mean for you? Simple: An
Ivy Bridge CPU will supply performance similar to
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3. December 29, 2011
batteryfast.co.uk
CES 2012: What to Expect From CPUs
Other notable enhancements include an upgraded that AMD could muster failed to outdo Intel’s mi-
graphics core built into the CPU, allowing DirectX 11 drange offerings.
support with Intel’s integrated graphics. We don’t
have many concrete details yet, but with every mi- The company will follow up the Bulldozer microar-
croarchitecture iteration we’ve seen, Intel’s inte- chitecture with Piledriver, an enhanced variant of
grated graphics improve. Ivy Bridge CPUs will also the Bulldozer core. Actual details are slim, and
bring native support for USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt, code names for individual desktop and laptop lines
which we hope will mean greater adoption of those abound, but we do know that AMD will be looking to
connectivity technologies across desktops and lap- boost the performance per watt and will be baking
tops of all makes and models. in stronger GPU cores. Piledriver is still expected to
be a 32-nanometer architecture, which puts AMD
We’ve heard no word on when Ivy Bridge CPUs and at something of a disadvantage in light of Intel’s
products equipped with them will arrive, but you 22-nanometer Ivy Bridge.
can expect to see them sometime around the second
quarter of 2012. We’ll certainly know more in Ja- We aren’t expecting to see Piledriver until sometime
nuary, once Intel releases a few more details at CES. around the middle of 2012. Bulldozer arrived only a
few months ago, after all. Once again, expect more
Beyond Bulldozer news from the AMD camp around the CES time
frame (CES starts the week of January 8).
Now, what
about AMD? Bite-Size CPUs
The budget-
minded pro- I’d be remiss to discuss processors without touching
cessor manu- on the mobile market. Tablets and smartphones are
http://www.batteryfast.co.uk/battery-technology/ces-2012-what-to-expect-from-cpus/
facturer is the gadgets du jour, and although consumers might
focused on its be a bit more concerned about aesthetics and apps
Fusion APUs than about their portable bauble’s innards, quite a
(Accelerated bit of power is at play inside.
Processing
Units), which It seems like only yesterday we were wondering
combine CPUs what to do with more than two cores in our cellular
and GPUs onto phones. In 2012, quad-core processors will rule the
a single piece day, with chip manufacturers such as Nvidia and
of silicon. Qualcomm leading the charge.
AMD has its
work cut out Nvidia Tegra 2Nvidia’s Tegra 3 is one of the first
for it over the next year, however. quad-core mobile CPUs to come to market, and the
latest in Nvidia’s Tegra system-on-a-chip line. The
In October, AMD pulled the curtain back on its long- system consists of an ARM Cortex A9 CPU with an
awaited Bulldozer architecture. Unfortunately, Bull- integrated 12-core GeForce GPU to power the gra-
dozer had a rather disappointing launch, and my phics. Expect a deluge of Android tablets to use these
own testing showed that the best chip technology chips, as device manufacturers pile on the features
in a never-ending arms race.
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4. December 29, 2011
batteryfast.co.uk
CES 2012: What to Expect From CPUs
Qualcomm will be introducing quad-core Snapdra-
gon S4 chips in time for the 2012 holiday season.
These chips will support tablets running Windows
8. The S4 will be built on the 28-nanometer process,
down from the 45-nanometer process that Qual-
comm used on the current-generation S3 chips. Ex-
pect improved performance and reduced power
consumption.
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