Nvidia's first 65nm eDRAM chip

blastarr

blastarr

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Nvidia Creates First Graphics Chip with Embedded DRAM.


TSMC Produces Nvidia’s 65nm Mobile Graphics Chip with eDRAM

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and Nvidia Corp. announced on Tuesday that TSMC has successfully produced a fully-functional sample of a graphics chip for handheld devices with embedded DRAM. While there are no details about the product, it once again shows the interest of a leading graphics chips designer towards the eDRAM technology.

“Nvidia is pleased to have collaborated with TSMC on their new 65nm embedded DRAM process, which has proven to be an excellent platform for our latest handheld GPU product. The efficiencies of the embedded DRAM process allowed us to raise the bar for features found in mainstream cell phones,” said Michael Rayfield, general manager of the handheld division of Nvidia Corp.

eDRAM (or embedded random access memory) allows to integrate much higher amount of memory into computer chips than static random access memory (SRAM) used today for caches in processors and graphics processors. Larger amounts of onboard memory mean higher bandwidth, which allows to use processing power of modern processing units more efficiently.

While Nvidia says that eDRAM allowed the company to pack more functions into mainstream class of handhelds, eDRAM may also allow the chip designer to develop solutions for applications that require higher graphics performance, e.g. handheld game consoles, digital media players with rich capabilities, etc.


The 65nm embedded DRAM process of TSMC is built on up to 10 metal layers using copper low-k interconnect and nickel silicide transistor interconnect. It features a cell size less than a quarter of its SRAM counterpart, and macro densities ranging from 4Mb to 256Mb.

TSMC 65nm embedded DRAM’s flexibility supports product designs that feature a smaller form factor by enabling both logic and memory functions to be built on a single device thus saving board space and enhancing systems reliability.

TSMC 65nm embedded DRAM uses a low thermal budget module that can be added to the company’s standard CMOS process. It is compatible with all 65nm logic libraries making it an efficient process for IP reuse. The embedded DRAM design features improved retention time and special power saving options for low power applications including sleep mode, partial power cut-off and on-chip temperature compensation.

In mid-February it transpired that Nvidia is seeking additional eDRAM engineers to work on graphics processors and other ASICs targeted at desktop, laptop, workstation, set-top box, wireless and home networking markets.
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http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/mobile/display/20070306085043.html


PSP 2 ou telemóveis ?
 
telemoveis:

TSMC Makes 65nm NVIDIA Mobile GPUs w/ eDRAM

NVIDIA is the first to employ 65nm TSMC process on mobile GPUs with embedded DRAM. TSMC's 65nm embedded DRAM process and IP shrinks the cell and macro size by nearly 50 percent compared to its previous generation. TSMC is targeting the higher bandwidth offered by the embedded DRAM at applications such as game consoles, high-end networking, digital consumer, and multimedia processors. The embedded DRAM allows for some of the key power-saving tricks being tapped by designers today, including sleep mode, partial power cut-off and on-chip temperature compensation, while also improving data retention time. The 65-nm embedded DRAM process is built on up to 10 metal layers using copper low-k interconnect and nickel silicide transistor interconnect, the company said. The cell size is less than a quarter of its SRAM counterpart, and macro densities range from 4Mbits to 256Mbits.


http://www.vr-zone.com/index.php?i=4740
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ja agora :



Mobile phones to get faster CPUs


Otellini wants Intel inside mobile phones


INTEL CHIEF Paul Otellini reckons Apple's iPhone shows Unix-like systems are better than Windows for mobile devices.

And having had a Windows phone for a few months, we'd be forced to agree.

Otellini told the Morgan Stanley Technology Conference in San Francisco: "Virtually every computer and handset manufacturer on the planet is struggling to figure out how to compete with Apple."

This is twaddle of course, but that's what he said.

Otellini thinks phone makers will have to switch to more powerful yet energy-efficient processors to compete with Apple. And, naturally, Intel is building some ultra low-power chippery, having unloaded its Xscale division to Marvel last year.

"If we get power and price down to the right point, I think it is a killer silicon compilation to these kinds of devices," Otellini said.

Apple has said that its phone will be running a special version of the OS X operating system that powers Mac systems. It may be powered by a Marvell Xscale processor.

"Where I see Linux as an opportunity is in ultra-mobile handsets. These things are much more inclined to be a Linux or a Unix derivative kind of product like OS X," said Otellini. "The power performance footprint in terms of the kernel for Linux for ultra-mobile is quite good as opposed to the footprint for Vista.

"You can get Windows CE in there, but you sure can't get Windows Vista in there as a small kernel version, which we are nudging to do. We would like to see Microsoft do a much more power-optimised, form factor-optimised kernel."

Microsoft's current Windows Mobile platform is unreliable, we have found. Sometimes pressing 'answer' when the phone rings cuts you off. This is somewhat pants.

It also fails to meet Otellini's demands of "ultra-mobile PCs": that they offer wide range of phone and computing functions as well as all day battery life. µ



http://www.theinq.com/default.aspx?article=38032
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