Performance and power efficiency are key advantages, but they're also challenging as the number of cores increases - going multicore present challeges and opportunities

摘要

Although multicore technology offers a game-changing opportunity for improvements in processing performance and power efficiency, it also brings about many new design and programming challenges. As the processor industry moves forward, the "three Ps," power efficiency, performance, and programmability, are the yardstick by which various architectures will be judged. Interestingly, power efficiency and performance are not only the biggest opportunities afforded by multicore technology but also the most significant challenges as we scale the number of cores beyond today's single-digit designs. Another daunting challenge involves the programming model required for efficient use of multiple cores on a chip. Here's where organizations, such as the Multicore Association, will help alleviate some of these challenges.