Log in | Register

I noticed over at Slashdot that IBM has unveiled (in Japanese, bring a translator) a dual-core PowerPC 970MP processor. The chip is based on IBM's PowerPC 970FX, and features 1MB of L2 cache per core. It will apparently be available in clock speeds between 1.4 and 2.5GHz.

Perhaps the most intriguing feature of the 970MP is its ability to shut down one of its processor cores to reduce power consumption. The chip also appears to have SpeedStep-like clock throttling to reduce clock frequencies and voltages under lower CPU loads. The chips may not have much of a future with Apple, but with the switch to Intel chips projected to take two years, the PowerPC 970MP could make its way into a PowerMac or two.