Could AMD Have a 12-Core Processor Up Their Sleeve?

When Intel first launched their Quad-Core processors in late 2006, people wondered what the point was. Just how could someone reap rewards from four cores? It’s been a while since that time, and now more than ever, multi-threaded applications are popping up in droves. But even now, some of the most common applications are still not multi-threaded, and some that are, won’t even use more than two cores.

Of course, that’s for the majority of people, and don’t be surprised if we see a whopping 12-core (Dozenal-Core?) later this year. According to DailyTech, engineers have admitted to great things ahead, which includes a revised HyperTransport 3.0 clock generator and also 6-core offerings, to help combat Intel’s upcoming Dunnington chip.

With the upcoming “Istanbul” 6-core offering and the fact that dual-die models are in the works, it would be possible to see a 12-core chip. The big question is whether we actually will or not, because there isn’t exactly a huge need for it, except in workstations and servers. However, it’s one thing to actually need something, but it’s a completely different thing for it to be amazing to think about nonetheless.

But sextuple-core processors have been done, or at least we’ll see the first ones this year. The real neat stuff comes a few months after, where AMD will finally ditch the “native-core” rhetoric. Two separate reports sent to DailyTech from AMD partners indicate that Shanghai and its derivatives will also get twin-die per package treatment.

Source: DailyTech