Intel developing the chip with two brains
ZDNet | at | by Mike
In "core hopping," for example, a stream of calculations will jump from one microprocessor core to another. Localized heat generated by transistors during intense number crunching can create "hot spots" that place a ceiling on performance, said Wilf Pinfold, technical director of microprocessor research at Intel labs. By rotating application processing, key transistors will stay cooler, heat will be more geographically spread and overall performance will climb.
Other areas of research involve specialization, where small chips within a chip perform specific jobs such as encryption or compression, improving processing prioritization. The changes are important in that, without a microprocessor overhaul, the industry's ability to continually make computing faster, cheaper and more powerful will begin to slow