When Intel Corp. bought the technology behind Compaq Computer Corp.’s Alpha processor, it may have done more than simply eliminate a potential competitor.
The deal includes the transfer to Intel of Compaq engineers whose expertise working with a non-proprietary chip technology could speed processor performance – a constant Intel goal. But what remains to be seen is how long it will take Intel to integrate the technology, Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT), into its chip lines. SMT technology makes a single processor act as multiple processors, spreading and handling the workload more efficiently.
Chinese student designs open-source ARM processor
First came open-source software, like FreeBSD, Apache and Linux. Now, a Chinese graduate student, Shen Shengyu, is hoping to generate support for the development of open-source hardware with the release of an open-source microprocessor core design – the primary processing circuitry of a chip – that is compatible with the widely used ARM family of microprocessors developed by ARM Ltd.
Shen, a doctoral degree candidate at the Institute of Computer Science at China’s National University of Defense Technology in Changsha, Hunan Province, spent four months developing the nnARM core, which he has made available on the Internet as part of an open-source project that includes several other open-source core designs. Development of the nnARM, which is compatible with the ARM7 processor core family, was based on publicly available information obtained over the Internet, Shen said.
Tech Data forms accelerated Web development team
To change its pace of Internet innovation, Tech Data Corp. has formed a focused team to concentrate solely on enhancements to its customer Web site. By bringing together a cross-divisional team and converting a seminar room into the RAD (rapid application development) Lab, Tech Data has created a collaborative, environment that allows RAD specialists to reduce the time required to develop new solutions.
Tech Data customers can now also take advantage of TD Anywhere, a feature that provides an automatic link to the on-line product catalogue from any Web site.