SAN JOSE, Calif.--Intel Corp. today described a new multitasking technology, called Hyper-Threading, which is designed to increase system performance 30% by enabling a processor to handle data instructions in parallel rather than one at a time.
Described at the Intel Developer Forum here, the new technology allows a single processor to manage data as if it were two processors, said the company. Intel developed Hyper-Threading under the codename "Jackson Technology."
Intel plans to introduce Hyper-Threading technology in Xeon processors during 2002. These processors will be targeted at server systems. However, the multithreading technology is also expected to be incorporated into a variety of Intel products over the next few years.
Initial validation tests have shown that Hyper-Threading can significantly improve the number of Web transactions handled by a server, Intel said. The technology can also increase the number of users on a server at the same time, said the company. In addition, Hyper-Threading promises to increase the speed and quality of multitasking applications on PCs, workstations and servers, Intel said.
"The development of Hyper-Threading technology signals a landmark in Intel processor technology design," said Paul Otellini, executive vice president and general manager of the Intel Architecture Group. Otellini demonstrated the Hyper-Threading technology during his keynote speech at the IDF meeting today.
According to Intel, the Hyper-Threading technology signals a fundamental shift in processor design, enabling an operating system to "view" a single central processing unit as if it were two logical CPUs.
Intel said the multithreading technology allows a processor to manage incoming data from different software applications and continuously switch from one set of data instructions to the other in few nanoseconds. It can switch back and forth without losing track of the data processing status of each instruction set, according to Intel.
To take full advantage of this capability, software developers will have to optimize applications for Hyper-Threading technology. Intel said it is developing a toolset to assist developers in adding multithreading capability to software. Intel compilers and Intel VTune Performance Analyzers will also include features to support multithreading capabilities. Applications that are already multithreaded can use Intel Performance Libraries to incrementally tune programs.
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