IBM to ship ‘world’s fastest microprocessor’

The microprocessor will be incorporated in a new version of the IBM mainframe and is intended for businesses managing high workloads, such as banks and retailers. It begins shipping on September 10. The new zEnterprise technology is the result of an investment of around $1.5billion in IBM research and development. The z196 processor is a four core chip that contains 1.4billion transistors on a 512mm² surface. The chip was manufactured using IBM's 45nm SOI processor technology in the company's 300mm fab in New York and the mainframe processor the company's embedded 'eDRAM' technology. According to IBM, it makes it possible to place dense dram caches, or components, on the same chips as high speed microprocessors and improves performance. The zEnterprise System is the most powerful commercial IBM system ever. The core server, zEnterprise 196, contains 96 microprocessors, capable of executing over 50 bn instructions per second. The new system has 60% more capacity than its predecessor, the System z10, and uses about the same amount of electricity. According to IBM, energy efficiencies were achieved through advances in microprocessor design, 45nm silicon technology, more efficient power conversion and distribution, as well as advanced sensors and cooling control firmware that monitors and makes adjustments based on environmental factors such as temperature and humidity levels and even air density.