AMD Unveils SSE5 For Bulldozer Core In 2009

AMD today announced further plans to innovate the x86 architecture byintroducing SSE5, a new extension of the x86 instruction set that is designed toallow software developers to simplify code and achieve greater efficiency forthe most performance-hungry applications. SSE5 will give developers additionalcapabilities to help maximize the performance of applications that have dailyimpact on consumers and enterprises, including high performance computing,multimedia and security applications. By making the SSE5 specification availableto developers today, AMD expects to ease the adoption of the new instructionsfor tool providers and software vendors who develop these performance-intenseapplications.

Chip advancements and software improvements go hand-in-hand, to the benefit ofconsumers and enterprises alike," said Phil Hester, senior vice president andchief technology officer, AMD. "The impact of our designs are best realized whenAMD-based servers, PCs and devices enable software to more effectively solveevery-day problems and enhance every-day experiences. By announcing our plans toadd SSE5 instructions to the x86 instruction set -- and by making thespecification available today -- we are enabling open and collaborative softwareinnovation that will bring AMD's advancements to life for our customers andend-users."

As the industry's focus is shifting from processor speeds to increasing powerefficiency, the number of instructions executed per second on one processor coreremains relatively constant. As a result, both software and hardware vendorsmust pursue new approaches to improving computing performance.

AMD is once again helping advance this process by making technical detailsavailable to the software developer community early, to foster an industrydialogue and solicit feedback. For example, AMD released an early version of theAMD Virtualization(TM) specification in 2005, at the time codenamed "Pacifica,"to the benefit of that technology's further development. Additionally, AMDrecently released the Light-Weight Profiling proposal, which is designed toenable software developers to fully leverage the benefits of multi-corecomputing. The early release of the SSE5 specification to the software developercommunity follows AMD's philosophy of open collaboration, a model thateffectively drove x86, 64-bit computing to the masses.

"PGI's goal is to provide high-performance, cross-platform, production-qualityparallel compilers and software development tools to the developer community,"said Douglas Miles, director, The Portland Group. "We are working closely withAMD to enable developers to quickly and easily leverage the SSE5 instruction setto enhance high performance computing, and the multi-core and multi-mediacapability of their software applications."

Multi-core processor technology and the integration of specialized co-processorsare effective methods for extending performance limits. Equally important isenabling the ability to maximize the efficiency of each core by reducing thetotal number of instructions needed to achieve the same result. SSE5 helpsmaximize the output of each instruction and consolidates code base byintroducing functionality previously only found in specialized, high-performancearchitectures, to the x86 platform:

3-Operand Instructions
A computing instruction is executed by applying a mathematical or logicalfunction to operands, or inputs. By increasing the number of operands an x86instruction can handle from 2 to 3, SSE5 enables the consolidation of multiple,simple instructions into a single, more effective instruction. The ability toexecute 3-Operand Instructions is currently only possible on certain RISCarchitectures.

Fused Multiply Accumulate
The 3-Operand Instruction capability enables the creation of new instructionswhich efficiently execute complex calculations. The Fused Multiply Accumulateinstruction combines multiplication and addition to enable iterativecalculations with one instruction. The simplification of the code enables rapidexecution for more realistic graphics shading, rapid photographic rendering,spatialized audio, complex vector mathematics and other performance-intenseapplications.

The SSE5 specification, which is being made available to the developer communitytoday at http://developer.amd.com/SSE5,will be implemented in products based on AMD's next-generation "Bulldozer" core,available in 2009.

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ASUS Mars II Sneak Preview

ASUS is known for taking the fastest graphics cards and making them even bigger and badder. Their last headline-grabbing attempt with a Nvidia GPU was back in 2009, when they released the dual-GTX 285 Mars.

This time round, ASUS has shoehorned two GTX 580s onto a single PCB to create the Mars II. Each GPU is clocked at 782MHz, making the Mars II even faster than the (already discontinued) GTX 590.

GTX 580GTX 590Mars IICore Clock772MHz607MHz782MHzShader Clock1544MHz1215MHz1564MHzMemory Clock
(effective)1002MHz
(4008MHz)854MHz
(3416MHz)1002MHz
(4008MHz)Memory1.5GB2 x 1.5GB2 x 1.5GB

ASUS has spared no expense here: the Mars II sports a sturdy metal shroud with two 120mm fans, and a metal backplate covers the entire rear.

However, the Mars II is considerably wider than usual, in addition to taking up three slots. Its dimensions are 13" x 6.2" x 2.5", so chances are that it will only fit into the very largest casings out there.

Three 8-pin PCIe connectors are required, and ASUS has also thrown in a 100% fan speed button. If you have too much money, you can even buy two of these and run them in quad-SLI.

One NEC Proadlizer is used for each GPU.

Each GPU gets an 8-phase power delivery system, and each set of memory 2 phases, making for a total of 20 phases on a single PCB.

To help cool this beast, each heatsink has four copper heatpipes.

Word has it that the Mars II will retail for a wallet-blowing S$2499 starting from late August. This is a limited edition card so only 999 units will be sold worldwide.

Stay tuned for our full review of the ASUS Mars II !

Apple's iPad 2 to come in white

For those who are following close to months and months of iPad 2 rumours would know that the upcoming tablet from Apple would feature front and rear cameras, thinner design and an improved (but not Retina) display. With just about a few days away from Apples iPad media event, this new (and rather interesting) rumour pops up from nowhere.

Originating from Shenzhen, China, this front bezel in white does include a hole for a front-facing camera. But what really surprised us is the colour. Apple originally announced the white iPhone 4 alongside with the black iPhone 4, but till this date have yet to deliever their flagship phone in white.

But on a personal note, I feel that having the iPad 2 in white just looks a tad weird.

In white or not, well find out soon on this Thursday morning at Apples iPad media event.

Source: 9to5Mac

ASUS launches Eee PC 1025 Flare series, world's fastest netbook with 2 sec resume

The ASUS Eee PC 1025 Flare Series netbook sports a new design with several color options, and incorporates 1.8GHz Intel Atom Cedar Trail dual-core processor, which claims to offer four times the graphical performance to previous generations while consuming less power. It also supports up to 2GB of DDR3 memory, up to 500GB hard drive, and comes with Smart Camera with 4x zoom, built-in USB 3.0, DLNA, and Wi-Fi Direct connectivity. The netbook features the proprietary ASUS Super Hybrid Engine II with Instant On technology that offers two-second system resume from sleep mode, and up to 21 days of standby. It also supports Blu-ray 2.0, and full high definition 1080p video playback via HDMI output. With the built-in data security features, it ensures zero data loss, with user data automatically saved to the hard drive when the battery drops below 5%. Available in eleven different colors, including Addict Pink, Mysterious Blue, and Plucky Purple, the ASUS Eee PC 1025 Flare Series netbook is now available in Singapore at S$499. Users will also receive 3GB of cloud storage space on ASUS WebStorage.

Apple unveils Apple Design Award winners at WWDC

Apple has announced the Apple Design Award winners at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in Moscone West, San Francisco.

Out of over half a million apps across the iPhone, iPad, and Mac, Apple selected just a handful which it believed deserved special mention at its event.Winners in the iPhone Developer Showcase include Jetpack Joyride by Halfbrick Studios, Wheres My Water by Disney, and National Parks by National Geographic, by none other than the National Geographic Society.Jetpack Joyride is a game that lets players fly around platform levels in a variety of jetbacks, collecting coins along the way. Apple said it was one of the winners because “it uses iOS graphics and audio frameworks extensively to enable really fun graphics, its optimized for Retina Display on iPad and iPhone, has a great soundtrack, delivers outstanding responsiveness and performance, and integrates with Game Center, In-App Purchase, Facebook and Twitter.” Basically it shows off the iPhone and iOS at its best.Wheres My Water is another game, but this time a physics-based puzzle where players help navigate water around various levels in order to help Swampy the Alligator have a shower. It won one of the awards due to its personality, consistent narrative, vibrant graphics, intuitive controls, simple game mechanics, and great sountrack. Its optimisation with iOS and integration with various iOS features was another selling point.National Parks by National Geographic is an informational app, providing details about popular parks throughout the United States. It was chosen for its strong design, attention to detail, high production quality, subtle and compelling animations and transitions, beautiful photo galleries, and photo tips. Maps integration was another factor in its win.Winners in the iPad Developer Showcase include Bobo Explores Light by Game Collage LLC, DM1 – The Drum Machine by Fingerlab, and Paper by FiftyThree, by FiftyThree Inc.Bobo Explores Light is an educational app that teaches basic scientific concepts relating to light, such as lasers, reflection, refraction, photosynthesis and bioluminescence, all with the use of experimentation, self-driven discovery and humour. Apple selected it because it is “state-of-the-art” and for making learning fun compared to more traditional digital textbooks.DM1 is, as its extended name suggests, a drum machine app that lets users turn their iPad into a virtual sound engine. It won an award for its “tight integration with iOS audio frameworks,” in addition to its high performance, rich feature set, finely-tuned interface, and beautiful visual design.Paper by FiftyThree is a creativity app that lets users draw sketches, diagrams, and illustrations in a way that makes them look high quality. Apple picked it for its excellent concept and execution, the feeling it gives when people draw with it for the first time, its innovative tools and rendering style, and the fact that it takes full advantage of the Retina Display to create the illusion of drawing on real paper.Winners in the Mac Developer Showcase include Deus Ex: Human Evolution – Ultimate Edition by Feral Interactive Ltd, Limbo by Playdead Aps, and Sketch by Bohemian Coding.The Deux Ex title is a cyberpunk-themed action role-playing game available on OS X. It was selected for its compelling and immersive gameplay, great graphics, and enormous environments. Apple called it “one of the … most impressive AAA games on the Mac App Store.”Limbo is a side-scrolling puzzle adventure for OS X, winning an Apple Design Award for its minimal UI, unique and compelling graphics, strong narrative, fluid movements, simple controls, and strong integration with OS X graphics and audio technology.Sketch is a professional vector graphics app for OS X, chosen for its integration with OS X and powerful design capabilities, including “non-destructive boolean operations on curves and objects.”Apple also selected two winners in its Student Developer Showcase: daWindci by Reality Twist GmbH, Mimimi Productions and Little Star by BiBoBox Studio. The former is a 3D project created by students at Mediadesign Highschool of Applied Sciences in Munich, winning for its clever design, simple gameplay, integration with iOS and 3D visuals.Little Star is a 30-page interactive childrens book designed and developed by students at Dalian Nationalities University in China. Apple selected it for its beautiful illustrations and unique interactivity, learning and gameplay, and touted it as “a great example of the results students can produce on iOS.”

Apple loses 4 patent claims against HTC in the U.K.

U.K’s court has determined that HTC does not infringe four of Apple’s patent, and thereby opening the door further for other smartphone manufacturers to compete in a $219 billion global market.

Apple tried to knock out HTC in the U.K. by claiming that its patents regarding photo management, slide to unlock, changing of the alphabet through scrolling, and software allowing users to touch two spots at the same time were infringed.

The court ruled, however, that HTC did not infringe three of the patents, and one was invalid.

The disappointment continues as Apple is faced with trademark lawsuits in China, and failed attempts at banning HTC’s One X, among others, in the U.S.

Earlier this year, and late last year, Apple won various patent suits against big brands such as Samsung across the globe, but that rush of victories have been slowed in recent months.

“Competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours,” Apple spokesperson said in an email to the press.

While Apple remains adamant about protecting its interest in the court room, competitors worldwide are seeking to compete with Apple through innovations in the marketplace.

Andrea Sommer, spokeswoman for HTC, addressed the press by saying HTC was happy with the U.K’s court ruling, and that HTC (among others) was “disappointed that Apple continues to favor competition in the courtroom over competition in the marketplace.”

AMD's 28nm Brazos successor to be manufactured at TSMC

With theKrishna/Wichita APUs now canceled, ExtremeTech has shed some light into AMDs strategy. The Deccan platform APUs were indeed planned for fabrication at GlobalFoundries, unlike Brazos which is manufactured by TSMC. Anticipating problems with the move to gate-first with GlobalFoundries, AMD canceled the Krishna and Wichita APUs and the entire Deccan platform. The short term solution is Brazos 2.0 - nothing but a minor tweak of Brazos. Long term, AMD is planning to move back to TSMC for its power efficient APUs.

Brazos 2.0 will have to hold fort till a direct 28nm shrink of Brazos is now expected some time in 2012 - well after the release of Intels 32nm Atom and 28nm ARM SoCs. The true successor to Brazos 2.0 - presumably an enhanced version of Krishna and Wichita featuring upto 4 cores, if not Kabini/Samara - is at least 18 months away, according to ExtremeTech.

In the mainstream APU segment, the successor to Trinity - Kaveri - is scheduled for 2013 on GloFos 28nm.

Source: ExtremeTech