Intel To Demo Octo-Core CPU

Author	Hugo Jobling
Published	30th Jan 2009

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We knew when Intel launched its quad-core Nehalem line-up that it had plans to pack even more cores into a single die and come the next IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference (IISSCC) we'll get to see just that. Intel will be taking the opportunity to show off Octo-Core Xeon processors.

Being built on the Nehalem architecture, these CPUs benefit, unsurprisingly, not only from eight cores but the ability to execute two simultaneous threads on each - or 16 over the entire CPU. In a dual-socket solution, that would give a near-ridiculous 16 cores running an actually-ridiculous 32 concurrent threads.

The number of situation in which that kind of number crunching power would ever be needed are understandably limited. Although the potential power, and thus money, saving potential of consolidating a server array into one PC will no doubt be of much appeal.

Real-time ray tracing here we come!

Link:
ISSCC.

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lifethroughalens said on 30th January 2009

meh, and we all though the numbers war was over when the GHz battles ended with the P4...
Personally I won't be content until Intel offers a 76.3 core chip.

Robert Elliot said on 30th January 2009

I think that pretty soon we're going to see languages and frameworks that allow programmers to make multi-threaded programmes without really needing to think about it - at whi... more