ATI Fast14 tech? What difference can it make?

[RussSchultz]

I think there are certain pieces of information you must provide per SEC regulation (like customers that are >10% of your income).

But I don't think technology partnerships are that sort of information.

 

[rwolf]

Looks like ATI has signed up with Arithmatica. Makes you wonder if Fast-14 didn't work out.

http://www.arithmatica.com/news/rel060720B.html

http://www.arithmatica.com/news/index.html

 

[Techno+]

if you look through AMD's (ATI) recent articles, they mentioned 3 GHZ GPUs on die with the CPUs to deliver a Teraflop of performance. Although many people said it is imposiible, The Fast 14 tech makes it possible. Maybe AMD ( ATI) are waiting for the right time to use such a technology, i.e 2008.

 

[Razor1]

AMD has no need for fast14, they have thier own technology , but it will take time for ATi to utilize this, also they will need to use AMD's Fabs aswell.

 

[BByte]

if you look through AMD's (ATI) recent articles, they mentioned 3 GHZ GPUs on die with the CPUs to deliver a Teraflop of performance.

Hmm, where did they mention 3GHz GPUs?

 

[Techno+]

Hmm, where did they mention 3GHz GPUs?

http://www.overclock3d.net/articles...d__fusion__vision_for_the_future_-_on-die_gpu

 

[Techno+]

AMD has no need for fast14, they have thier own technology , but it will take time for ATi to utilize this, also they will need to use AMD's Fabs aswell.

that doesn't mean that AMD cant license them, and plus, i meant that ATI might have licesned it befor being bought

 

[_xxx_]

This bit:

Fast14 Technology reduces area by replacing numerous parallel processing elements with single elements operating at much higher frequencies.

...sounds quite like what nV did with G80 shaders.

 

[Razor1]

that doesn't mean that AMD cant license them, and plus, i meant that ATI might have licesned it befor being bought

That is true, but with AMD's know how of custom libs I just don't see why ATi would use something outside ya know. But again, we might see something for the r600..... but as Jawed said its been 2 years.

 

[Xenus]

Guys you should probably start facing the fact it's probably never coming. Same as a long list of technologies put on the back burner.

 

[rwolf]

Guys you should probably start facing the fact it's probably never coming. Same as a long list of technologies put on the back burner.

Your right, but given the time it takes to build a GPU now would be a good time for this technology to make a showing.

 

[Simon F]

Looks like ATI has signed up with Arithmatica. Makes you wonder if Fast-14 didn't work out.

I believe they are different (possibly orthogonal) technologies. IIRC Fast-14 looks to be a dynamic logic technique, whilst Arithmatica provide tools to write maths functions that use algorithms that are more efficient that the standard algorithms used by some other hardware synthesis tools.

 

[rwolf]

I believe they are different (possibly orthogonal) technologies. IIRC Fast-14 looks to be a dynamic logic technique, whilst Arithmatica provide tools to write maths functions that use algorithms that are more efficient that the standard algorithms used by some other hardware synthesis tools.

I assume that math would be the reason for using dynamic logic. Arithmatica would provide CMOS libraries for math while intrinsity would provide dynamic logic libraries. Unless they use dynamic logic for some other functionality other than the ALUs such as the memory controller.

 

[Acert93]

Curious... R520 was hampered by a 3rd party library, did it ever get leaked which company it was?

 

[Simon F]

I assume that math would be the reason for using dynamic logic. Arithmatica would provide CMOS libraries for math while intrinsity would provide dynamic logic libraries.

Not really.

I don't think I'm saying anything that's not on their website by stating that (AFAIK) Arithmatica don't provide hardware "libraries". They provide a "compiler" that takes a specification** of a set of mathematical operations and outputs a netlist using standard library components. It's just that they typically do it in a much more efficient way than other products.

** BTW you specify the operations in a C++_like language so it's really nice for a software monkey like me.

 

[DudeMiester]

http://www.slashgear.com/samsung-1ghz-hummingbird-mobile-cpu-takes-on-snapdragon-2750348/

Sorry to drag up an old thread, but I thought it better than starting a new one.

Anyways, seems the mythical Fast14 has a confirmed application now in the Samsung Hummingbird mobile CPU. Perhaps if it cannot improve ATI graphics, it will improve it on some smartphones.

EDIT: A more detailed article here http://www.intrinsity.com/index.php/articles/64-hot-rodding

 

[Mat3]

Five years since the ATI/Fast14 announcement. Is it fair to say they have no intention of using it, or could there still be some hope?

 

[dkanter]

Five years since the ATI/Fast14 announcement. Is it fair to say they have no intention of using it, or could there still be some hope?

Doubtful. Intrinsity's technology is kind of in the opposite direction of where the industry is headed. Both IBM and Intel are moving away from dynamic logic...moving in the opposite direction doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

DK