IBM, Sun effect processor innovations

WASHINGTON, USA: Even as Sun Microsystems reached a landmark in the CPU scene with its 16-core, 128-thread processor Rainbow Falls, industry observers lauded IBM Power7 as a more compelling achievement in the latest round of high-end server processors.

IBM has unveiled its Power7 packs with a total of 32 cores supporting 128 threads on a four-chip module with links to handle up to 32 sockets in a system. An EETimes report pointed out that the two chips target very different markets, with Sun targeting Web servers that cost tens of thousands of dollars while IBM targets even larger databases.

Elaborating on the IBM Power7, the report said it builds under contract to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. It has been pointed out that both the IBM and Sun designs support up to 128 threads in a single socket. IBM's Power7 has built in significantly more memory and bandwidth than Sun's Rainbow Falls to support IBM's big database customers, it added.

IBM's Power 7 sports 590 Gbytes a second total chip bandwidth including two four-channel memory controllers per die and also includes 32 Mbytes in embedded DRAM in L3 cache alone. Meanwhile, , Sun's Rainbow Falls focuses on raw thread throughput for Web servers.

Sun has said it would adopt L3 cache in future chips, while IBM would configure L3 cache in tranches such as private, local caches, shared Other features of the Power7 include the utilisation of a hybrid ring and crossbar approach. Meanwhile, Rainbow Falls makes use of a hierarchy of two crossbars with two cores sharing a link.