Moty Mehalel

The Implementation of the 65nm Dual-Core 64b Merom Processor

Merom is a dual-core 64b processor implementing the Coretrade architecture. The 143mm2 die has 291M transistors in a 65nm 8M process. The shared 4MB 16-way L2 cache uses PMOS power gating to minimize leakage. The processor operates in a wide core frequency range of 1 to 3GHz, a bus frequency range of 666 to 1333MHz and voltage range of 0.85 to 1.325V, while providing 40% better power performance.

A fully integrated multi-CPU, GPU and memory controller 32nm processor

This paper describes the 32nm Sandy Bridge processor that integrates up to 4 high performance Intel Architecture (IA) cores, a power/performance optimized graphic processing unit (GPU) and memory and PCIe controllers in the same die. The Sandy Bridge architecture block diagram is shown in Fig. 15.1.1 and the floorplan of a four IA-core version is shown in Fig. 15.1.2. The Sandy Bridge IA core implements an improved branch prediction algorithm, a micro-operation (Uop) cache, a floating point Advanced Vector Extension (AVX), a second load port in the L1 cache and bigger register files in the out-of-order part of the machine; all these architecture improvements boost the IA core performance without increasing the thermal power dissipation envelope or the average power consumption (to preserve battery life in mobile systems). The CPUs and GPU share the same 8MB level-3 cache memory. The data flow is optimized by a high performance on die interconnect fabric (called “ring”) that connects between the CPUs, the GPU, the L3 cache and the system agent (SA) unit that houses a 1600MT/s, dual channel DDR3 memory controller, a 20-lane PCIe gen2 controller, a two parallel pipe display engine, the power management control unit and the testability logic. An on die EPROM is used for configurability and yield optimization.

A Fully Integrated Multi-CPU, Processor Graphics, and Memory Controller 32-nm Processor

This paper describes the second-generation Intel Core processor, a 32-nm monolithic die integrating four IA cores, a processor graphics, and a memory controller. Special attention is given to the circuit design challenges associated with this kind of integration. The paper describes the chip floor plan, the power delivery network, energy conservation techniques, the clock generation and distribution, the on-die thermal sensors, and a novel debug port.

An Energy Efficient 32-nm 20-MB Shared On-Die L3 Cache for Intel® Xeon® Processor E5 Family

An energy efficient on-die 20-way set associative L3 cache of size 20 MB for the Intel® Xeon® processor E5 family is presented. It is manufactured in the Intels 32-nm second generation of high-K dielectric metal gate process with 9-copper metal layers. The L3 cache design uses 0.2119 um 2 cell for the high density big array and 0.2725 um 2cell for the high performance smaller arrays. The power efficiency was achieved by employing advanced power saving schemes and effective Vccmin design techniques. The proposed L3 cache topology seamlessly supports a high density modular and energy efficient designs. The effective and rich redundancy design improves both yield and low voltage operations. The L3 cache achieves more than 20-40% energy efficiency when compared to previous generations and demonstrates wide operating ranges from 1.2 GHz at below 0.7 V to greater than 4.0 GHz at above 1.0 V.

An energy efficient 32nm 20 MB L3 cache for Intel ® Xeon ® processor E5 family

A 20-way set associative 20MB energy efficient L3 this paper. The design uses 0.2119um2 cell and is manufactured in the 32nm second generation of high-K dielectric metal gate process with 9-copper layers. The power efficiency was achieved by employing advanced power saving schemes and effective Vccmin design techniques. The proposed L3 cache topology seamlessly supports a high density modular and energy efficient designs.