Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

48-Core Chips Could Redefine Mobile Devices

Posted by timothy on from the absolute-power dept.

CWmike writes "Intel researchers are working on a 48-core processor for smartphones and tablets, but it could be five to 10 years before it hits the market. Having a 48-core chip in a small mobile device would open up a whole new world of possibilities. 'If we're going to have this technology in five to 10 years, we could finally do things that take way too much processing power today,' said analyst Patrick Moorhead. 'This could really open up our concept of what is a computer... The phone would be smart enough to not just be a computer but it could be my computer.' Enric Herrero, a research scientist at Intel Labs in Barcelona, explained that with the prototype chip someone could, for instance, be encrypting an email while also working on other power-intensive apps at the same time — without hiccups. Same for HD video. Intel's Tanausu Ramirez said it could also boost battery life. 'The chip also can take the energy and split it up and distribute it between different applications,' he said. Justin Rattner, Intel's CTO, told Computerworld that a 48-core chip for small mobile devices could hit the market 'much sooner' than the researchers' 10-year prediction."

5 of 285 comments (clear)

  1. Before we know it we will be at 640 cores by tom17 · · Score: 4, Funny

    And we can stop then because, well, you know, 640 cores should be enough for anyone.

    1. Re:Before we know it we will be at 640 cores by Bill_the_Engineer · · Score: 5, Funny

      I was looking at my razor and thinking I should have more than 6 blades!

      --
      These comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of my employer or colleagues...
  2. Imagine a Beowulf cluster... by ducomputergeek · · Score: 5, Funny

    had to be said.

    --
    "The problem with socialism is eventually you run out of other people's money" - Thatcher.
  3. Dirk Meyer's last words by CajunArson · · Score: 5, Funny

    Just before the AMD board executed him, Dirk Meyer screamed out: "MOAR COARZ!" And today we have Bulldozer.

    The moral of the story is, MOAR != more all of the time. Especially in a freakin' cellphone, where, despite what some Slashdotters think, the primary use case is *not* performing massively parallel scientific simulations.

    --
    AntiFA: An abbreviation for Anti First Amendment.
  4. Re:Desktop by Mike+Buddha · · Score: 5, Funny

    And I don't want my 48-core machine to be fucking mobile. It means I would then be expected to take my work everywhere with me. Fuck that. Until we learn how to respect the sanctity of vacation time in the US and bring up the average vacation length for workers to something near European standard I would rather see this in a non-mobile version first.

    I don't think you have anything to worry about. They're not making a portable deep fryer, this is a computer.

    --
    by Mike Buddha -- Someday the mountain might get him, but the law never will.