Two heads are better than one [dual-core processors]

This article examines manufacturers who are turning to dual-core designs, combining two independent processors and their respective caches and controllers onto a single silicon chip; thereby neatly increasing performance without changing architectures or increasing clock speed. Intel and AMD both offer dual-core processors. The benefits of dual-core processors are outlined with specific applications in multithreading and pipeline processing. In conclusion, the requirements of software development tools for these processors is considered.