Experimental processor from Intel adapts to environmental changes

Intel has developed a prototype of a "resilient" processor that it says delivers substantially more throughput than a conventional one. Conventional chips come with guardbands, which allows for reserve cycles to kick in for consistent performance should environmental conditions prove less than ideal. The side effect is that these processors will actually consume more power.

The new resilient chips, on the other hand, are designed without the guardbands. Under normal circumstances, they deliver performance that is better than the rated speed; built-in self-tuning capabilities utilizing error detection and correction though, means that the processor continues to deliver in spite of conditions such as power dips and temperature changes.

In a manner, rather than putting in additional circuitry as a buffer, the new resilient processor spends processor cycle to adapt to the environment and perform better. Because variations in environmental conditions are infrequent, this is a more efficient approach than using guardbands. Of course, the technology is still in its infancy, and Intel says no formal plans have been made to commercialize it at this point.

For more on this story:
- check out this article at Computerworld 

Related Articles:
Intel to roll out new six-core processors soon
Intel unveils 32-nm family of processors
Intel to launch next-generation processors
Intel demonstrates 48-core processor