POWER7 multi-core processor design

Summary form only given. In this talk, we will describe many key architectural, micro-architectural, RAS and power-management features of the POWER7 core for the first time. POWER7 is IBM's first 8-core processor chip, with each core capable of 4-way SMT, fabricated in IBM's 45 nm SOI technology with 11 levels of metal. Details of the processor core will be discussed, along with insights, technical issues and challenges related to designing high performance, power-efficient multi-core chips for building balanced servers.