Intel's Atom Architecture: The Journey Begins
by Anand Lal Shimpi on April 2, 2008 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- CPUs
Instructions Gone Wild: Safe Instruction Recognition
The biggest fear with conventional in-order architectures is what happens if you have a high latency instruction that needs a piece of data that isn't available in the caches.
Since in-order microprocessors have to execute the instructions in order, the execution units remain idle until the CPU is able to retrieve the data it needs from main memory - a process that could easily take over a hundred clock cycles. The problem is that during these clock cycles, power is expended but no work is getting done - which is the exact opposite of what we want in an ultra low power microprocessor.
Out of order processors would get around this problem by simply scheduling around the dependent instruction. The scheduler would simply select the next instruction that was ready for execution and work would progress while the data dependent instruction waited for data for main memory. We've already established that a full OoOE core would be too power hungry for Atom, but relying on a pure in-order design also has the potential to be inefficient. Intel's Austin team found a clever middle ground for Atom.
It's called the Safe Instruction Recognition (SIR) algorithm and it works like this. If Atom is executing a long latency floating point operation followed by a short latency integer op you would traditionally stall until the FP op is complete (as we described above). The SIR algorithm looks at the two instructions and determines whether or not there are any data dependencies between the two (e.g. C = A + B followed by D = C + F), if there aren't then Atom will allow the "younger", shorter latency operation to proceed ahead of the longer FP operation.
SIR addresses a very specific case but it sprinkles a little bit of out-of-order goodness into the Atom's otherwise very strict in-order design. I wouldn't be too surprised if future iterations of Atom expand the situations in which these sort of out-of-order tricks are allowed.
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adntaylor - Tuesday, April 8, 2008 - link
On that chart with price / power, you need to be clearer...For price, you show the combined price for CPU + Chipset. For power, you say just the CPU... so 0.65W for the CPU... but you're conveniently ignoring the >2W figure for the chipset!!! This absolutely flatters Intel wherever possible.
AMD are just as misleading - they describe the Geode LX as "1W" which excludes the non-CPU core parts of the chip (which is an integrated CPU + GMCH)
Just please be honest - the figures are out there in the Intel datasheets... it takes 10 minutes to check.
Clauzii - Friday, April 4, 2008 - link
I still have a PowerVR 4MB addon card, runnung in tandem with a Rage128Pro. Quite a combination w. 15 FPS in Tombraider. Constant(!) 15FPS, that is..Amazing what they actually achieved back in 95!
Clauzii - Friday, April 4, 2008 - link
Ooops!Totally misplaced that. Sorry.
wimaxltepro - Friday, April 4, 2008 - link
The Atom represents a shift in processor architecture that is the most dramatic departure for Intel since introduction of x86 processors... the philosophy of how computing itself occurs from centralized processors to distributed processing based on an extension of the popular x86 instruction set.The Atom is not about the immediate prospects for the Atom or Nehalem products: we will likely see members of Intel's new product family be used in embedded applications in consumer products and in areas where specialized communications processors are more the rule. While not optimized for use in specific networking applications, the products capitalize on the wide range of support available in IT/Networking to develop common functions that leverage the low cost, low power/processing capability to be used as a common denominator for a wide range of applications.
Intel has been built on the 'Wintel' architecture: massively integrated chips needed to handle the massively integrated operating systems and applications of Windows (and Apple) environments. The Atom allows migration and broadening out from that architectural motif to a very highly distributed architecture. So, the increased parallelism found in the internal chip architecture is enabling of changes in external system architectures and device applications that go well beyond the typical domain of Intel.. and right into the domain of 'personal wireless broadband' and SDWN, Smart Distributed Wireless broadband Network.
The decisions about in-order vs. out of-order instruction streams, memory architecture, I/O architecture have been made in light of the broad vision for how computing, networking and, out of hand, how wireless enabled broadband networking including WiMAX will occur. This should be understood for what it represents as a shift in direction for Intel both in response to broad industry shifts and as a trend setting development.
jtleon - Friday, April 4, 2008 - link
Thanks to all the flash player ads, etc., a mobile web device will continuously avoid switching to low power states. Thus one could argue that advertising will be carbon footprint enemy of the internet's future. This is already becoming the case for desktop/laptop machines.Without such continuous (arguably wasted) consumption of CPU power, then Intel's engineered power management might have a significant impact on the value of the Atom.
Regards,
jtleon
0WaxMan0 - Friday, April 4, 2008 - link
I am definatly much impressed and enthused by intels work here, the future looks interesting esp for those of us who like low power cross compatible computing products.However I have to point out that a low power modern x86 cpu has allready been done infact 4 years ago with AMD's Geode. While technically much weaker than the Atom and with out any where near the scalability (single core design etc.) the Geode has been available in the same TDP ranges for a good long while. Take a look here http://www.amdboard.com/geode.html">http://www.amdboard.com/geode.html for some old stuff.
I do hope that the Intel name and hype makes more of an impact than AMD managed.
whycode - Thursday, April 3, 2008 - link
Does the TDP quoted include the chipset? Or is that CPU only?IntelUser2000 - Thursday, April 3, 2008 - link
Anand, the Pentium M does not feature Macro Ops Fusion. Its Core 2 Duo that started Macro Ops Fusion.Anand Lal Shimpi - Thursday, April 3, 2008 - link
You're correct, I was referencing micro-op fusion. I've made the appropriate correction :)Take care,
Anand
squito - Wednesday, April 2, 2008 - link
Am I the only one shocked to see that Poulsbo is a 130nm part...