3 ms·
Unfortunately, I think we are heading in the opposite direction. The Moore’s Law/Denard Scaling disconnect has created a growing need for dark silicon [1] on c
by Kon-Peki 4y ago
Unfortunately, I think we are heading in the opposite direction.
The Moore’s Law/Denard Scaling disconnect has created a growing need for dark silicon [1] on chips. Thus we are likely to see even more specialized components rather than fewer. The Apple M1/M2 is a perfect example.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_silicon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_silicon
- marcosdumay 4y agoYes, but it makes much more sense to specialize the components by form than by function. And GPUs and image processors look a lot alike. The largest difference today is on the IO links, but it makes too much sense to link the camera directly to the DRM.
- Kon-Peki 4y agoThe theory is that for every node shrink, a greater percentage of your transistors have to be dark. If you use a component too frequently, it isn't dark enough. I'll trust your statement that GPUs and image processors look a lot alike (I am no expert by any means), but as long as there is a difference an image processor is going to be a candidate for inclusion on the chip. The designers have a transistor budget, thermal constraints, and a prioritized list of components they can put on the chip given available transistors. I'm sure that if they had better alternatives, they'd skip the image processor. But they didn't, which gives you some information on how Intel thinks about image processors.