Daily Mailbox

Samsung Creates First LCD with DisplayPort Video Interface

AMD Unveils Technology To Extend Memory Footprint for Server Computing

Intel Creates Open-Source Project for Its Multi-Core Development Software

Daily Mailbox

Samsung Creates First LCD with DisplayPort Video Interface

Samsung Electronics announced that it has developed the world's first LCD panel using the next-generation video interface – "DisplayPort." Sanctioned by VESA (the Video Electronics Standards Association), DisplayPort will serve as a replacement for DVI, LVDS and eventually VGA.

The DisplayPort interface technology supports both internal (e.g. for notebook PCs) and external (box-to-box) connector links between PCs and monitors. DisplayPort has a scalable AUX channel for two-way communications, embedded clocking for higher speed, fewer wires, reduced electromagnetic emissions, and a micro-packet architecture for flexible design configurations. Its transmission range is wider than that of other interface standards and can be easily expanded. Besides Samsung, Display Port also is supported through VESA by many PC integrators, graphics chip makers, timing controller silicon makers, and the world's leading producers of digital connection devices.

For Samsung's new 30-inch LCD, the DisplayPort interface transmits graphics data at a total data rate of 10.8Gbps. This speed enables 2560x1600 resolution without any color smear. By using a transmission speed more than double that of today's interfaces, Samsung's new LCD only requires a single DisplayPort interface, instead of the two DVI (Digital Visual Interface) ports now used.

In a joint undertaking with Genesis Microchip (Santa Clara, California), Samsung developed its 30" panel using a new four-lane, 2.7Gbps/lane interface chip. The interface technology processes 2560x1600 pixels of graphics data at up to 10 bits of color depth or 1.07 billion colors, a feat that would normally require at least three DVI or four LVDS interface chips.

Samsung's new 30" LCD also offers the company's proprietary Super Patterned Vertical Alignment (S-PVA) liquid crystal technology for 180° viewing angle, and 300nits brightness.

Mass production of the 30-inch panel is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2008.

Source: Samsung Electronics

AMD Unveils Technology To Extend Memory Footprint for Server Computing

AMD announced it collaborated with leading integrated circuit companies to develop the Socket G3 Memory Extender (G3MX) technology, which is planned for the AMD Opteron processor platform infrastructure ecosystem in 2009. This innovative platform-level technology is designed to extend the total memory footprint in future AMD Opteron processor-based systems and, therefore, enable increased performance to customers’ enterprise-class servers, such as those used for databases and emerging technologies like virtualization and multi-core computing. Supporting the DDR3 memory specification from JEDEC1, G3MX technology is being developed in collaboration with IDT and Inphi, who are planning to sell G3MX components as part of their power- and cost-effective device portfolios supporting the memory industry.

To create G3MX technology, AMD worked closely with the memory technology community to address the complex issues vexing customers today. With G3MX, AMD can enable a DDR3-based means of increasing total memory in a server system for ultimate flexibility.

G3MX is expected to be available in 2009 when AMD introduces its next-generation architecture enhancements.

Source: AMD

Intel Creates Open-Source Project for Its Multi-Core Development Software

Intel Threading Building Blocks (TBB), a C++ template library that simplifies the development of software applications running in parallel, is now available as an open source project under the GNU General Public License version two (GPLv2) with the runtime exception. Intel TBB, as both an open source and fully supported commercial offering, makes parallelism more accessible for programmers and enables increased application performance on multi-core processors.

• Intel TBB uses generic programming to be efficient, but it has programmers express tasks instead of threads. This allows scalable programs at a fraction of the developer effort compared to C++ with threading packages.
• Intel TBB provides an abstraction for parallelism that avoids the low level programming inherent in the direct use of threading packages such as p-threads or Windows threads.
• Intel TBB extends C++ for parallelism in an easy to use and efficient manner. It is designed to work with any C++ compiler thus simplifying development on applications for multi-core systems.
• Intel TBB facilitates scalable performance in a way that works across a variety of machines for today, and readies programs for tomorrow. It detects the number of cores on the hardware platform and makes the necessary adjustments as more cores are added to allow software to adapt. Thus, more effectively taking advantage of multi-core hardware.
• Intel TBB is a proven solution and currently is being used on a wide variety of C++ applications, particularly ones where the notion of getting scalable performance is important. This covers multiple application segments such as digital content creation, animation, financial services, electronic design and automation and design simulation.

Intel continues to support the commercial version of Intel Threading Building Blocks 2.0, which is available for $299. This product includes one year of technical support, upgrades and new releases. The commercial version of Intel TBB is also included with the recently launched Intel C++ Compiler Professional Editions 10.0.

More information on Threading Building Blocks is available at www.threadingbuildingblocks.org.

Source: Intel

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