Extreme Tech, Ivy Bridge: Intel’s killing blow on AMD, here. Let’s look at this again. For the FinQuant application space I’d estimate somewhere between 50% and 85% of what you care about in selecting a Linux server is the current, expected future, and realized future feature size of the fab producing the server’s microprocessors and chips. There are lots of other important variables: system and microprocessor architecture, programming languages, network transmission lines, compilers, operating systems, file systems, databases, etc. and each alone can make or break a FinQuant app, but they are all tails. The microprocessor fab feature size is the dog, it effectively determines how well my FinQuant infrastructure scales with Moore’s Law. The comparative technology priority has not always been this way. There used to be different instruction set architectures, networks were slower than DRAMs, and memories were small all requiring evaluation in addition to the shrinking microprocessor fab feature size. In all likelihood the comparative technology priorities will change in the future as well.

Right now, Intel Sandy Bridge is 32nm, Ivy Bridge is 22nm, AMD Operton is 28nm,  Xilinx is 28nm, Achronix is 22nm and the microprocessor market share main event is between AMD and Intel over design wins in mobile systems. Server-side Intel holds 95% market share to AMD 5%. Intel tries to set expectations of 22nm by 2013 and 14nm  by 2014, here for example while showing the Chandler, Ariz 14 nm fab construction, here.  Recall that things do not always move so smoothly for Intel, think about the relatively recent 8M Sandy Bridge support chip recall and Itanium. On the other hand AMD’s problems appear to be a shade worse than Intel’s witness:  ars technica on Server market share here, The Register here, Extreme Tech here. I don’t know how much these websites are owned or comped by Intel, but if i am holding a bunch of Opteron server-side exposure it is probably safe to argue that it’s time to think about a hedge.

All things being equal, if I am aggressively setting up an HPC FinQuant infrastructure play now. I kind of want to be production ready with 22 nm silicon by the end of 2012 looking to set up a smooth infrastructure transition to 14nm in 2014.

Anand Tech, Intel’s Ivy Bridge Architecture Exposed, here. Not sure how much I care about the integrated GPU for server side FinQuant apps unless the AVX2 is somehow related to the GPU.

ars, Transactional memory going mainstream with Intel Haswell, here.

phoronix, Compilers Mature For Intel Sandy/Ivy Bridge, Prep For Haswell, here. Wow Treasure.

tom’s hardware, AMD Steals Market Share From Intel, here. The interesting fight is in mobile from the market’s perspective. Servers not so interesting.

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