AMD introduces HyperTransport technology

From...

by James Evans

(IDG) -- Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) Tuesday announced HyperTransport technology, which is designed to let the chips inside of PCs, as well as in networking and communications devices, communicate with each other up to 24 times faster than existing technology allows.

"It basically means improved performance in PC and network equipment behind the PC ... eliminating the bottlenecks in the I/O (input/output) systems," said Charles Mitchell, AMD product strategy manager.

HyperTransport is a point-to-point bus technology that offers greater bandwidth, such as from the memory controller to the hard driver controller or PCI (peripheral component interconnect) bus controller, he said. The technology works in servers, workstations, network switches and embedded applications.

Under current circumstances, bandwidth is equivalent to cars being able to use a one-lane bridge. HyperTransport opens up bandwidth to offering two complete lanes in both directions, Mitchell said.

IDG.net INFOCENTER IDG.net's main page Free daily newsletters Instant help from the Dummies Network Computerworld Communities Related IDG.net Stories Broadcom narrows growth forecast Future chips: Headed for heat problems New servers use Transmeta chips to cut power costs Features Cool gifts for cool nerds! Your complete guide to broadband DSL bloodbath continues Visit an IDG site Choose a site: IDG.net CIO Computerworld Darwin Dummies.com GamePro.com The Industry Standard ITWorld.com InfoWorld.com JavaWorld LinuxWorld Macworld Online Network World Fusion PC World Publish.com SunWorld IDG.net search

Engineers can design the link in each direction and decide the width of the bus and the clock rate of the system in order to deliver the desired bits and bytes needed, Mitchell said. The maximum configuration is 1.6G transfers per second.

"Most people will use the 800M transfers and the 1.6G transfers per second," Mitchell said.

A key factor with the technology is that it will let developers make components that interoperate with various processor platforms, said Nathan Brookwood, principal analyst with Insight 64 in Saratoga, California. HyperTransport makes chips more modular and will allow for the market to grow faster, he added.

AMD has won support from some companies, such as graphics chip maker NVidia Corp., Brookwood said.

"NVidia has been pretty vocal about doing this," he said "They are working on a chipset in (Microsoft Corp.'s) Xbox."

The NVidia chipset uses an Intel Corp. Pentium III chip developed with a north bridge -- the main processor and graphics -- and a south bridge --the PCI slots, audio, modem, integrated Internet controller, USB (universal serial bus) and other components.

"The north bridge needed a high-performance way to talk to the south bridge," Brookwood said. "They (NVidia) will be able to use the same south bridge in both Pentium III in Xbox and (AMD's) Athlons in PCs."

Chips can be used in a wider range of systems, Mitchell of AMD said. A desktop chip can be more easily configured to work as a server or workstation chip.

AMD will seek to push the HyperTransport technology by providing open standards and partnering with industry heavyweights.

Broadcom Corp., Cisco Systems Inc., NVidia and Sun Microsystems Inc. all have said they will use the HyperTransport technology in future products, AMD said. The Sunnyvale, California chip maker also will use the technology in its forthcoming processors. The first third-party products using AMD's HyperTransport technology are planned for later in 2001, the company said.

AMD engineers have been working on the technology for the past three and a half years, Mitchell said. During its development, HyperTransport was known by the code name "LDT" or "lightning data transport," he added.

Analysts say Athlon bests Pentium 4
January 23, 2001
Review: Pentium 4 a disappointment at 1.5 GHz
November 21, 2000
Intel readies 1-GHz notebook chip for early 2001
October 12, 2000
AMD takes a different path with Sledgehammer chip
August 14, 2000
Intel unveils 1.13-GHz Pentium III
August 1, 2000

Broadcom narrows growth forecast
(The Industry Standard)
Future chips: Headed for heat problems
(PCWorld.com)
New servers use Transmeta chips to cut power costs
(IDG.net)
Covad shuts off service to two ISP resellers
(Network World Fusion)
AMD bumps Duron up to 850 MHz
(IDG.net)
Acer restructures to increase profitability
(IDG.net)
Via to unwrap enhanced Cyrix III chip at CeBIT
(IDG.net)
High-tech copper seen at heart of new microchips
(InfoWorld.com)

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
Cisco Systems

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.