Transmeta Unveils 256-bit Microprocessor Plans

nam37 writes "PCWorld has an article about how Transmeta has outlined its initial plans for a new 256-bit microprocessor dubed the TM8000. They claim it will offer significant advantages over their current TM5x00 line of chips. The processor will be a switch to a 256-bit VLIW (very long instruction word), allowing twice as many instructions in one clock cycle and greater energy efficiency." The article also touches on the popularity Transmeta enjoys in Japan, noting that 92% (CD: corrected from 55%) of the company's revenue comes from there.

Comments

Well...

[coene]

Though I dont think Transmeta has had the kind of success that everyone expected they could have, its great to see that they are continuing to innovate.

It would be great if they came out with more mainstream ways to use their products, such as real viable ATX style boards. It would certainly let their products be used in more mainstream areas. Who wants to develop/search for a custom mainboard, which (due to lack of volume) costs more than anything comparable Intel/AMD. This may in fact be a large contributor to why Asia is such a huge market for Transmeta, they are more friendly to manufacturing custom boards/systems to use the chips efficiently.

Re:Well...

[moonbender]

There is no "real viable ATX style" board for the Transmeta processors, since there is just no need for them in the desktop segment. The main advantage of the Crusoe, low power usage, is no advantage in desktop computers which can draw a (more or less) arbitrary amount of energy. The very low generation of heat would also be an advantage, but there are already low-performance-low-heat Via chips which run on existing hardware and only need passive cooling, so why bother with even lower heat gear.
You don't see desktop computers based on a Transmeta just as you don't see desktops based on StrongARMs.

Architecture is not relevant

[HiKarma]

While it's all very interesting inside, if all they ever do with these chips is emulate a Pentium, then all they are to the market is a low power pentium.

Thus all the market will care about is how much does it cost, how much power does it use and how fast is it compared to the offerings from Intel and AMD.

Is that a battle Transmeta can win? Intel can always pretend to have a better low power pentium around the corner, and they might not even be pretending.

Now, if they could use it to make a machine which can run both Mac PowerPC and x86 software are high performance, that might be something that would bring in users.

Yawnnnnnn

[Anonymous Coward]

Oh great, another CPU and my broadband speed is getting slower and slower. Why the hell are we keep having faster and better CPU and broadband technology and availability is standing still?

What I want from Transmeta

[the grace of R'hllor]

I don't care about mobile.

I don't care about power efficiency except as a means to an end.

And that end is a passively cooled machine of sufficient performance to run a desktop workstation or server. I'd like to replace my aging PPro200 with a passively cooled machine, and Transmeta seems to be able to deliver that.

So why don't they do that? I think there's a market there, too. A Transmeta mobo and processor is all that is needed, yet in the Netherlands, I can find neither...

Of course, 'cheap' would be a nice property of such a system too, though I don't know if Transmeta could deliver that.

The Japanese don't play dice with the Universe

[Graymalkin]

There's a very interesting difference between gadget production in Japan and in the US. One important aspect besides pure technolust that drives the production of all forms of technological toys is the expected return. In Japan a tech product needs to only sell about 25,000 units in order for a company to see it as viable. In the US that prospect is ten times higher at 250,000 units. Ergo, Japan sees far more keen little toys because there's no impetus to sell hundreds of thousands of them which allows for a much larger number of what the US would see as production failures. The logic stems from the fact there is far more techno toy demand in Japan so a minimum demand product that just barely sells out its 25,000 unit inventory might be succeeded by a subsequent product that outsells production capability driving the price up through increased demand. There's also a ton of local intranational production facilities as well as a close proximity to Taiwan and Korea which vastly lowers the cost of all the microelectronic components because they don't need to be shipped across the Pacific. I know the pangs of technolust well, I want one of those Sony PCG-U1 in a way I'm not entirely comfortable with feeling about a computer. In short that is why Japan sees so many damn cool toys. The increased demand allows for smaller successful production runs and more product variety.