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China's 64bit Homegrown CPU
An anonymous reader writes: "EE Times is reporting on China's BLX IC Design Corp nearing the completion of their first 64-bit CPU. Based on the MIPS instruction set the 500-MHz Godson-2 microprocessor is aimed toward distributed grid computing. To avoid MIPS patent issues, several instructions (unaligned loads and storeds in the 32 bit version) have not been implemented but with the support of over 60 software providers such as Red Flag Linux and the ability to tweak compilers to not use these instructions this should not be a problem. The Godson-1 processor (also patent free) was announced last year and was aimed at the embedded market." The Godson processor line has generally been called Dragon by the Western press.
Hopefully the Chinese will leave DRM out of their chips and give people looking for a "free" CPU a competitive option to the crippled intel/AMD CPUs.
How are Intel and/or AMD chips "crippled"? Are you referring to cpu id's? How would the "Dragon" be "free" and how could it be competitive running at 500mhz?
Of course there is the ultimate irony of using DRM and China in the same sentence.
1) Free and easily ported OS allows them to have a reasonable non-standard processors.
Agreed. One of the reasons I love NetBSD.
2) US restrictions on exporting high powered chips and other computer parts are easily diluted by open standards.
Well I don't know if I'd call a watered down 500mhz MIPS based chip "high powered". Maybe once you lash 128 of them together you'll have a decently powered box, but individually, it's way less than yesterdays tech.
3) Test, over time, in the market place the use of cheap open chips vs. more expensive perhaps more cutting edge chips (from the west). Do you use 1 or 2 AMD or Intel chips costing 700 USD or 5 or 6 Dragon/Godson 2 chips costing? $5 or $50 (etc).
Not a good comparison I think. It costs $200 RETAIL for an Athlon 2400MP. Now home much supporting chips, power, etc would you need to put together 5 of those Dragons to get at the same fudged clock rate, assuming of course you're doing things that a parallizable enough to counter the loss in raw clock rate. There are other "non open" chips that are alternatives that cost less/run cooler/etc. I don't see how an "Open" chip helps at all here. Plus how is the Dragon "open"? They "steal" another companies tech and explicitly work around any licensing issues. That's "open"?
I don't think that is anything to worry about. I mean, think about it.
Everyone in America is complaining about how US firms are employing foreign workings instead of US citizens. Once the foreign market starts to keep pace with / pass up the US, there will be an increased demand for IT workers in those countries. As demand for these workers increases, their salries will increase as well. This means US firms will be less eager to hire foreign workers.
Also, I think the US could use a good kick in the pants when it comes to motivation for product innovation. This may be just what we need.
I am a viral sig. Please help me spread.
"How are Intel and/or AMD chips "crippled"?"
They will be when DRM becomes mandatory.
"...how could it be competitive running at 500mhz?"
Intel thought the same thing about AMD for a long time. Then the K6-2/450 was released, it sold like crazy, and AMD actually beat intel in sales for one quarter. After that intel startking kicking their R&D's ass to get better CPUs out quicker, because competion had kicked in. It might take a while, but the Chinese have plenty of resources, and they WILL get to a point where their CPUs are competitive with American CPUs.
You don't ignore patent law when you want to eventually sell your products into Europe, America and the rest of the world.
Wholy crap! Here's a most informative post that dismisses half of all these garbage posts...and it gets modded down to a 0? Once again, you slashdot moderators are morons!!!! Point and case...China took an open standard and implemented it. I commend them for using an open standard. Would it have been better that they created their own bastardized microcode language? Instead of you fools ripping on China for *stealing* someones idea, maybe you should be ripping on Intel for continuing to make ugly ass processors. I can't say anything bad about AMD since they at least try bring order to the ugly world of Intel.