IBM magic change 14nm CPU: the same IPC process to enhance performance cores have increased by 14% to 20%
In ISSCC 2020 conference, Big Blue IBM announced a new generation of mainframe Z15 processor improvements, although still GF 14nm process, but the Z15 processor vary considerably and still achieve the miracle of the 12-core 5.2GHz. We introduced before the basic situation of the processor, the core area of up to 696mm2 (about 3-4 times the normal desktop 8-core processor), integrated 9.2 billion transistors, frequency 5.2GHz, each core with 128KB L1 data cache, 128KB L1 instruction cache, 4 + 4MB L2 eDRAM cache and 256MB L3 cache.
Japan PCWatch website recently has revealed IBM's paper, published in more detail some of the differences Z15 processor with Z14 processor.
According to IBM's information, they target on the Z15 processor includes many improvements, the first single-core performance of 10%, number of multinucleated 20% increase (from core 10 to core 12), L2 cache increased 33%, L3 cache turn times, L4 cache increased by 43%, all this in the same 14nm SOI process to be achieved.
Generally speaking, if the process did not do the upgrade, then at the same time enhance the single-core and multi-core performance, but also greatly enhance the buffer capacity, this is impossible, but IBM did, and exceeded expectations.
Finally, IBM on the Z15 processor core 2 not only increased, but also enhance the performance of single-core ST 14%, more than 10% of a predetermined target, L2 / L3 / L4 cache and the other reaches the target design, and power consumption increases It is minimal.
In short, IBM on the Z15 processor than expected to achieve the goal, the next big upgrade same process single-core, multi-core and cache systems, and the core area is 696mm2, increase in power consumption is also very limited, this absolute God optimization technology to allow other companies envy.