Sun launches UltraSparc T1 chip

Sun Microsystems hopes the UltrSparc T1 will help it take on IBM and HP

BY TOMS MATHEW

16th November, 2005: The newest processor from Sun Microsystems will be named as "UltrSparc T1". Earlier, this processor was called by the code name of "Niagara".

Sun Microsystems has been devoting a lot of its precious time for developing state-of-the-art computing equipment which consumes less power than those in market today. The high power consumption has been a constant worry for the users who couldnt control their electricity bills going up continuously. The heating and cooling issues also were a cause of worry for the customers. With the intrduction of the new UltraSparc T1, Sun Microsystems hopes to find a permanent solution for the power consumption problem.

The new processor from Sun Microsystems may be launched later this quarter, while some consider December 6 as the launch date during Sun's quarterly Network Computing Event in New York. 

Marketing director for Sun's Scalable Systems group, Fadi Azhari said that the UltraSparc T1 will run at 1.2 GHz and will consume only less than 75 Watts while running at ordinary workloads. The new processor is expected to consume only 72 Watts which is less than practical maximum of 135 watts for Intel's dual-core Xeon and a maximum of 95 watts for a mainstream dual-core Opteron from Advanced Micro Devices.

The new processor UltraSparc T1 consists of 8 processing engines, which are called cores. Each core will execute 4 instruction cycles called threads. Sun Microsystems hs given a name for this aggressive multithreading approach - CoolThreads. 

With multiple cores and multithreading strategy, UltraSparc will do lot more tasks in a lesser time and that too, with a comparatively lesser power consumption. Sun is planning to release a cousin to the UltraSparc T1, called Rock ( code name) for higher-end jobs requiring fast single-thread performance. Rock may be launched by 2008.

Sun will also sell Niagara with six and four cores, although the original one hs eight cores. Sun is planning two Niagara systems, the 1.75-inch thick "Erie" model and the 3.5-inch thick "Ontario" model. 

BY TOMS MATHEW