- A Russian computer company has designed
a microchip it claims is at least twice as fast as any made by Intel and
can be programmed to run any software, writes <mailto:mprigg@dircon.co.uk
Mark Prigg.
-
- Elbrus International claims its E2K chip
- yet to be built - is even faster than Intel's 64-bit PC chips, which
will not available until next year. The Elbrus chip will run at a minimum
speed of 1.2GHz and will be able to take any software, including Microsoft
Windows.
-
- The chip relies on parallel processing,
a technique in which several instructions can be worked on at the same
time. This allows it to be much faster than existing processors, which
handle only one instruction at a time. Elbrus also claims it has designed
a system called binary compilation so that the chip can run Windows software
without infringing any of the Intel patents.
-
- The new system should allow Elbrus to
programme its chip to run software designed for Intel's new 64-bit processor
and almost any other computer system. Software loaded into the chip can
tell it to alter the way it works to mimic any computer without losing
its processing speed.
-
- The chip has another advantage in that
it uses less power than Intel chips, making it ideal for notebook computers.
-
- The Elbrus team has been working on the
E2K for 30 years but has only just finalised its radical design.
-
- According to Carl Howe, an analyst with
Forrester Research in Boston, although the Elbrus design is still only
on paper, it could have a future. "A lot of great technology is now
coming out of Russia - they have some incredibly clever people. Elbrus
also has a good pedigree with chips and it designed the computer systems
that control the Russian space and missile programmes," says Howe.
-
- "Companies such as Sun already invest
heavily in Russia and are also interested in new chip designs. I think
we might see some companies trying to partner Elbrus. At the very least
I think a lot of people will be interested in licensing its design, if
not funding a joint venture with the company."
-
- Elbrus has taken out 70 patents on its
design and is now looking for a western firm to help manufacture the chip.
According to an Elbrus spokesman, £25m is needed to begin production.
-
- Although Russia has several microchip
factories plants, none is advanced enough to produce the tiny components
needed for the E2K.
-
- "There is no realistic way that
Elbrus could go it alone - without western help it will quickly die,"
says Howe. "Who knows, maybe Intel will decide it is the technology
for it. From what Elbrus has said, its design is far better than Intel's
next generation 64-bit chip, the IA-64."
-
- An Intel spokesman said that although
the company was aware of the Elbrus chip, until a working prototype was
produced, it could not comment on the performance of the E2K.
-
- However, Intel's rivals AMD and Cyrix
are rumoured to be looking closely at the Elbrus design.
-
- According to Boris Babaian, the founder
of Elbrus, the fate of the E2K is now in the hands of the West. "This
is a real test of whether a western firm is willing to partner Russia,"
he says. "We have the technology to take the world by storm. Now we
will see if the West will help us do that."
|
