Former Intel Engineers Aim to Create the 'Most Powerful CPU Ever' by Focusing on IPC
A startup founded by ex-Intel engineers is working on a CPU that prioritizes instructions per clock over traditional metrics.
Aiming for Efficiency
A startup named AheadComputing, founded by former Intel engineers, is setting ambitious goals in the CPU market. Their focus shifts from the conventional metrics of clock speed and core counts to instructions per clock (IPC), which they believe will define the future of CPU performance.
Debbie Marr, the company’s CEO, states, “the x86 ecosystem is fiercely defending its territory but is destined to lose in the end.” She expects that pressure on existing architectures like ARM will push customers towards alternatives like RISC-V.
With a strong team that includes noted CPU architect Jim Keller, AheadComputing has plans to develop and license cutting-edge, high-performance 64-bit RISC-V processor cores. The company’s strategy hinges on building chips that enhance functionalities for each core, increasing performance per watt without merely adding more cores.
The broader implications of their work could reshape how CPUs are designed, especially as multi-core capabilities begin to encounter diminishing returns in terms of performance gains.
