LSI Corp. said this week that the company collaborated with Fujitsu to design the new multi-core SPARC64TM IXfx processor for highly scalable supercomputing applications. The new chip, which features a significant performance boost over the previous generation, couples Fujitsu’s multi-generational expertise in high-performance computing and LSI’s industry-leading custom silicon tech.

The SPARC64 IXfx processor is manufactured using 40nm process technology, has 16 high-performance cores, 64KB I/D cache and 12MB shared L2 cache memory to handle the data rate requirements of supercomputing applications. The chip works at 1.848GHz and provides 236.5GFLOPS of double-precision performance while consuming 110W of power. LSI’s custom silicon capability allows storage and networking customers the ability to offer highly differentiated hardware solutions to meet customer demands.

 
^{Fujitsu SPARC64 IXfx block diagram and specs. Image by Ccidnet.com}

“The SPARC64 IXfx delivers the speed and flexibility our supercomputing application customers are looking for. The combined expertise of LSI and Fujitsu utilized in the development of the SPARC64 IXfx provides customers with increased performance and allows them to run essential applications more effectively,” said Akira Asato, general manager of LSI development division of next generation technical computing unit at Fujitsu.

LSI’s deep expertise and heritage in custom silicon significantly improved the SPARC64 IXfx time to market while meeting aggressive performance targets, according to the company.

“To meet their requirements, Fujitsu desired a partner with deep expertise in highly complex SoCs and the know-how to meet aggressive schedules and performance targets. Collaborating with Fujitsu on the SPARC64 IXfx processor underscores our commitment to working with customers to deliver time-to-market solutions for mission-critical deployments,” said Sudhakar Sabada, senior vice president and general manager of custom solutions division at LSI.

Tags: Fujitsu, LSI, Sparc, 40nm, TSMC, Sun Microsystems