Pictures from an exhibition

Evgenie Rudometov
authors@rudometov.com

At a specialised exhibition of reachings of the advanced IT companies, led within the limits of traditional IDF, numerous participants of the given international Forum could familiarise with advanced development

Development of current technologies demand high concentration financial, raw and manpower resources. Efficient control the given resources is impossible without the international coordination of efforts of experts of the different countries. This purpose is promoted by Forums IDF (Intel Developer Forum), traditionally led twice a year in the different countries, by the way, already and in Russia.

Feature of spring session of the Forum of current year is global transition of branch to multinuclear architectures. They have found the incarnation in numerous platform solutions. All it became a reality thanks to progress in the field of the solid-state technologies operating already in scale of 65 nanometers. So mesh sizes of units have allowed to increase number of transistors on semiconducting crystals of chips to fantastic values. Really, for a number of the newest processors the given number already has exceeded   1 000 000 000. It has allowed to realise within the limits of one chip the effective multinuclear architectures providing not only high efficiency, but also low energopotreblenie.

Certainly, central processor units by right are considered as the important units of modern computer systems. However their operation is not possible without the appropriate support which are carried out by other components into which number enter both hardware, and program solutions. For this reason the last years the branch pays to complex development of computer systems the big attention. Key reports of bosses of Intel testified to it at Forum IDF in San Francisco.

Recognising high value of a theoretical component of the given reports, it is necessary to mark, that participants of the Forum give the greatest attention to the shown samples created on the basis of the newest processing techniques. Computer platforms, and various arrangements of wireless data transfer, and other products concern them both chips, and. Operation of such arrangements well illustrates different directions of development of branch and forms appropriate perspective vision.

But not the smaller attention is called by the reachings of the advanced companies shown at specialised exhibitions, traditionally accompanying the given Forums. At these exhibitions participants IDF can not only consider close numerous products, but also set interesting questions to direct implementators. By the way, quite often given products are created on the basis of announced during key reports processing techniques and shown prototypes.

So, for example, at Forum IDF in San Francisco SHon Melouni (Sean Maloney), the executive vice-president of corporation of Intel and the general manager of division Mobility Group, has shared the information on schedules of Intel concerning development of perspective transportable systems. In the course of the report it has shown a number of samples of transportable systems. Visitors of an exhibition could take a number of models in hands and independently be convinced of advantages of new compact design (the Photo 1).

Photo 1. Kontsept the supercompact notebook offered by Intel

This and similar supercompact notebooks possess small weight, dimensions and long time of operation from the built in secondary generator. So, for example, resulted kontsept has been supplied by the display in the size of 7 inches, memory of 256 Mb, an one-inch hard disk of 5 Gbytes. Unlike traditional handheld computers where as the central processor unit models XScale use, here it is applied ULV Intel of Pentium M with kernel Dothan, 1,1 GHz working on clock rate . Usage of the given processor has allowed to use the traditional operating system of Windows XP with standard office and applications. The wireless processing techniques presented depending on model by built in resources Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are not forgotten also.

Have undergone to a number of modifications and notebooks of habitual form factors. As an example it is possible to result the model presented on the Photo 2.

Photo 2. One of variants of a notebook of the traditional form factor, which design is offered by Intel company

In the resulted notebook the design which is ensuring functioning of the user in the conditions of the limited size of planes, trains and cars is realised. Really intensively travelling owners of transportable computers were quite often convinced on own experience, that the seat ahead of the sitting passenger does not allow to open a notebook completely. Here the given variant of the design also is oriented to such situations, allowing to push the display forwards. The split between the display and the keyboard allows to perform habitual operations. And it is finite in such computer all traditional possibilities, including multimedia and wireless functions are saved.

By the way, as it was marked in reports of experts of Intel, researches are carried out in corporation laboratories on development and modification of wireless processing techniques. Improvement is carried on in the various directions linked to increase of frequency, the pass-band extension, simplification of roaming, safety rise etc.

One of spares of growth of a transfer rate are the processing techniques providing simultaneous usage of several channels and appropriate system of aerials. One of such processing techniques has received name MIMO. Offered Intel new system 2x2 MIMO is realised on one semiconducting crystal and uses some miniature aerials. The given system provides a transfer rate to 108 Mbit/with. The given system consists of two transmitters and two receivers realised on a uniform semiconducting crystal. Chip release is carried out now on processing technique of 90 nanometers.

It is obvious, that wireless processing techniques are not settled Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and WiMAX. The high-speed resources which are carrying out high-speed data transfer in a radio band on short distances promptly develop. To one of variants it is presented Wireless USB. Resources of this standard providing data transfer on distance to 3 metres with speed to 480 Mbit/with, develop especially fast the last year, and, predictably, appropriate mass products will appear in the market this year.

At an exhibition the set of the products, using standard Wireless USB has been presented. As an example it is possible to result solutions of company Wisair which have presented at an exhibition some of arrangements banked by the given interface. All of them are hooked up to the computer on the radio interface. As such arrangements the transportable disk drive and the digital camera, supplied with appropriate electronic resources, including the high-frequency aerial has been shown. As an answer part of a data channel the special controller Wireless USB which is hooked up to USB-port of the traditional desktop personal computer (the Photo 3) uses. Wireless resources of a camera allow to output practically simultaneously with shooting the received result on the display screen of the computer and to dump the information on the transportable disk drive. The declared range of the shown solution makes not less than 10 m.

Photo 3. The Hard disk drive with resources of wireless data transfer Wireless USB

Telling about hard disk drives, it is necessary to mention other products of this segment. Manufacturers had been presented different variants. Thus the upper lath of size was installed by 3,5-inch models in size of 500 Gbytes. Other boundary of a band models of a form factor represent of 0,8 and 1 inch. The special interface and compact CA-ATA plug is specially developed for them. One of such models was presented by company Seagate.

Certainly, other accessories for which at an exhibition new processing techniques have been presented develop also. So, for example, in one of reports the new interface and the plug which has come in the stead to traditional VGA have been announced. It has banked in itself(himself) the best properties of existing analogue and digital video interfaces. Has received the name name Unified Display Interface (UDI). Compatibility UDI with interfaces DVI and HDMI is provided. The new standard is suitable not only for computer equipment products, but also in wider spectrum of electronic video products. As implementation of advantages UDI various products have shown a number of the known companies, offered some models of TV-tuners and videocards.

Speaking about videocards, it is necessary to mention and such popular processing techniques, as SLI. It is possible to consider as further development of the given processing technique the presented solutions with usage of four videocards (the Photo 4), fulfilled on the basis of chips GeForce 7900. The given videocards are hooked up to the motherboard mutually through two PCI Express x16/x8 plugs. By the way, each of videocards consumes to 150 W that means for all package — to 600 W. With the registration of other accessories such energopotreblenie demands an appropriate power supply unit. For such computer power of a power supply unit in 1кВт any more will not seem such to the redundant.

Photo 4. videopodsitema with four videocards realising SLI

One more extension of existing possibilities of video resources it is possible to consider company Matrox Graphics development. At exhibition IDF this company has presented one more variant of the extension of video space with usage of several displays. Development Matrox Graphics has named as TripleHead2Go. This development represents the small block which is hooked up to the computer and several displays.

It is necessary to mark, that except the mentioned developments, at an exhibition various processing techniques of rise of productivity of computers are widely presented. So for example, on a number of benches operation of the various solutions grounded on usage of various integrated resources was shown. For example, temperature sensor controls traditional for central processor units are already built in and memory modules, and various controllers. At critical excess of temperature such products are capable to skip clock pulses, than uninterrupted operation without loss of working capacity and processed data is provided. Efficiency of similar solutions showed a number of implementators (the Photo 5).

Photo 5. Demonstrating of the dynamic storage of thermoprotection built in units

Certainly, at an exhibition there were also other not less interesting developments. As an example it is possible to result perspective, vysokoemkie, portable sources energopitanija. They have been presented by new types of secondary generators, such as, the next generation of fuel units, such as hydrogen, metanolovye (metanol — methyl alcohol), and also lithium-ionic and lithium of polymeric batteries. Sensation became lithium-sulfuric (Li-S) the secondary generators which density of energy already twice exceeds traditional units, and the next two years their size will be raised still, at least twice.

Similar sources energopitanija together with the newest processing techniques energosberezhenija allow to raise essentially time of offline work of notebooks (the Photo 6).

Photo 6. Demonstrating vysokoemkih sources of standalone power supplies of notebooks

But such novelties, as well as many other things developments are subjects already other articles.