Nice post, lots of good information.
Also, keep in mind that CPU die sizes will be about the same at 65nm as 90nm due to the shift to dual core.
Me...
Good point.
I know INTC seems totally committed to DC, but I remain somewhat skeptical about the value for consumers. This is based mostly on the lack of multi threaded programs and the sense that computers have grown so powerful that price is becoming the dominant check-off. The DC problems seem to be similar to the problems 64b adoption has gone through. Both are logical upgrades, but both are waiting on software to catch up to hardware. Both DC and 64b promise immediate processing improvement for different reasons, but seem more suited for users that really tax their machines. In the laptop area DC seems like a liability. We'll have to see how well the chips (Meron) and the ultra-low power chips INTC has said will appear at 65 nm handle heat and power demands.
As far as SOI goes, I thought I read that INTC didn't see much use for it until the 45nm level. What your saying is that at 45 nm and below INTC thinks it has no value.
Perhaps for INTC's processes they're correct, but something seems to be working for AMD.
Well like I've said I'm not technical and although I can understand this stuff at a certain level, I make no claims to really understanding it. I'll leave that to the more technical people on the boards. In the end though I basically have to wait for reviews from Anandtech and such to get a clear picture of how well the chips perform.
So I'm still a little confused as to what you think INTC will be filling up all the new fabs with. Granted DC will take some of the space but not that much and fabs don't get better with age. Is it going to be wireless stuff? That seems most likely, but INTC has been fighting TI for years in that market and as yet doesn't have a toe-hold. Or is it Wi-Fi/Wi-Max that INTC intends to dominate with its' platform strategy, or something else?
