4+ GHz IBM Power6: Too Late


IBM will debut its Power6 processor in 2007, with clock speeds breaking the 4GHz mark, CDR Info reports.

The dual-core Power6 is running against the trend of Intel/AMD's multiple cores approach, with an emphasis on higher clock speeds instead, marking a reversal in the traditional strategy of the x86 and PowerPC chip makers. But the Power6 will also feature two dual-core chips on a single die, with IBM expected to introduce the quad-core Power6 generation in November 2007.

The Power6 is expected to run at speeds between 4 and 5GHz. It packs up to 8GB of L2 cache and can transfer data to RAM at a rate of up to 75GB per second.

Despite speeds which double those of the Power5 chip, power consumption is the same as the previous-generation Power processor. The Power6 will be used predominantly for IBM's server line.

Another innovation for the Power6 is the addition of an external embedded controller which can power the chip up or down and adjust its power use and performance.

Analysis: In a way, it's a shame that the desktop versions of the Power processors under IBM's control were so neglected, given the otherwise optimistic prognosis of the PowerPC roadmap. Not to mention the fact that they're not suited to portable computers.

Would you have preferred to continue to have had a PowerPC option from Apple? For example, in XServe? Admittedly, the cost of maintaining PowerPC compatibility in OS X in the longer term would have been a major consideration. Not to mention the logic board design and production. Ultimately, the market would have been too small.