PentiumŪ Processor Mobile Advantage Pentium Processor Design Voltage Reduction Technology Tape Carrier Package (TCP) On-Chip Module Power Down SL Technology Advanced Power Management Mobile PentiumŪ Processors Product Linecard

PentiumŪ Processor Mobile Advantage

Mobile computer users demand desktop equivalence. Intel's 150-MHz PentiumŪ processor has the power to meet the challenge. Notebooks designed with the 150-MHz Pentium processor will feature larger high-resolution color screens, CD-ROM drives, and support for full-screen, full-motion video with the capability for real-time multimedia and wireless communication. Intel technologies developed to meet the challenge of providing mobile computing power include:

• Voltage Reduction Technology: external operation of the processor at 3.3 volts with a power-saving 2.9 volt internal operation;
• Tape Carrier Package (TCP): a postage stamp-sized thermally efficient processor package that occupies 95 percent less volume than conventional packaging;
• On-Chip Module Power Down: automatic power down of the cache and floating point unit when not needed;
• SL Technology: fully static operation for processor- and system-level power management.

Pentium Processor Design

The Pentium processors for mobile computing utilize advanced design techniques such as superscalar architecture, enhanced floating point unit, 64-bit data bus, 8KB data cache, 8KB code on-chip cache, and 66MHz and 60MHz external bus speeds. These design techniques allow the processor to provide maximum performance in notebook computers today and pave the way for future applications.

Each Pentium processor for mobile computing consists of 3.3 million transistors. The 150MHz, 133MHz, 120MHz and 100MHz Pentium processors are manufactured on Intel's 0.35 micron BiCMOS process technology. Intel's BiCMOS process uses bipolar transistors for increased performance and CMOS transistors for reduced power consumption with increased density. The BiCMOS process technology enables Intel to integrate the same number of transistors onto a smaller die than was possible on the earlier versions of the Pentium processor. The result is greater performance with relatively little cost in terms of power consumption. For example, the mobile Pentium processor 150MHz (from the .35 micron process) is more than 50 percent faster than the Pentium processor 90MHz (from the 0.6 micron process) even though they both consume approximately the same power (typically 2.5-3.5 watts).

The use of sub-micron technology allows designers to develop smaller transistors and to fit more transistors on a smaller chip. Increasing the "transistor density" means that electrons have less distance to travel to complete circuits. The 0.35 micron process enables an active die area which is approximately 50 percent smaller than that from the 0.6 micron process. This results in a faster clock rate and higher performance processor.

The increase in the number of transistors has made it possible to integrate components that were previously external to the processor, such as math coprocessors, caches and multiprocessor interrupt controllers, and place them on-board the chip. Placing components on-board increases performance dramatically by reducing the time required to access them. Providing multiple layers of metal for interconnection among the transistors on the processor also reduces the distance between components thereby increasing the speed at which they communicate. Intel's 0.6 and 0.35 micron BiCMOS processes utilize four layers of metal interconnection.

Voltage Reduction Technology

The greatest challenge in developing systems based on a new processor architecture is efficiently dissipating thermal energy. Mobile systems do not usually contain a cooling fan, so heat is dissipated by using innovative thermodynamic design techniques such as heat pipes and thermal sensors, and by using the mobile system chassis to vent heat externally. Proper thermal design is critical to the reliability and longevity of a mobile system.

To resolve thermal issues, Intel developed Voltage Reduction Technology which is integrated into mobile Pentium processors. The external pins of the Pentium processor with Voltage Reduction Technology remain powered at 3.3 volts, which allows the processor to communicate with existing 3.3 volt components in the system. The internal core of the processor operates at 2.9 volts (3.1 volts for the 150 MHz), resulting in up to 40 percent power savings over its desktop counterpart. Consequently, the 150-MHz Pentium processor delivers over 60 percent more performance than the 3.3 volt 75 MHz version while retaining long battery life. Voltage Reduction Technology helps notebook OEMs design and develop higher performance notebooks.

Tape Carrier Package (TCP)

TCP was developed to meet the challenge of providing high performance in a mobile environment constrained by thermal, mechanical, and electrical design considerations. It offers reduced pitch, thin package profiles, a smaller footprint on the printed circuit board, and manufacturable handling media without compromising performance. TCP is constructed from three layers (carrier film, adhesive, and metal) of interconnected Tape Automated Bonding (TAB) tape. This construction supports heat transfer solutions in mobile computers that use thermodynamic design techniques.

With TCP, notebook vendors can now offer higher performing processors in mobile computers and add enhancements such as CD-ROMs as a standard feature. A microprocessor packaged using TCP technology is thinner than a dime and weighs less than a gram. It occupies two-thirds less space than the conventional 55-gram Pentium processor SPGA component. TCP's small size and thermal efficiency leave room for enhanced capabilities and features in notebook computers.

On-Chip Module Power Down

The notebook user realizes longer battery operating time and no performance degradation with on-chip module power down. Two modules on the Pentium processor automatically suspend when not in use. The Floating Point Unit (FPU) initiates a power down mode when there are no floating point operations in use or pending. When on-chip logic determines a floating point instruction will soon be dispatched, the FPU powers up to execute the instruction, then powers down upon completion. This provides a 20 percent power savings when using software that does not use extensive floating point code. The on-chip cache initiates a power down sequence in similar fashion when on-chip logic determines that pending instructions will not require data stored in the cache. The cache power down feature provides a 10 percent overall power saving when the software application is not running out of the cache. Both of these power-down features occur independently of application and operating system software.

SL Technology

Intel developed SL technology as a method of energy management. At the core of SL technology is Intel System Management Mode (ISMM) which provides a mechanism for managing system components and is completely transparent to the application and operating system software. It allows the processor to slow down, suspend, or completely shut down various system components so as to maximize energy savings. A suspend button or the lapse of a specified time period activates the mode. Returning to the prior operating state is instantaneous.

Other SL technology features in the Intel architecture are Auto Halt Power Down, Auto Idle Power Down, I/O Restart, and Stop Clock. Stop Clock is a processor mode that provides fine-tuned control over the processor's clock frequency, enabling a variety of energy-conservation techniques. When Stop Clock is enabled, the internal frequency of the processor can be lowered to 0 MHz.

Advanced Power Management

In addition to processor-level enhancements, system-level technologies including Advanced Power Management and a mobile PCI chip set, the Intel 430MX Mobile PCIset, provide uncompromised notebook performance.

The APM system consists of power managed hardware, a standardized (APM BIOS) interface between the platform BIOS and an OS, and APM software. The APM system provides coordinated system power management, initially implemented in mobile PCs to aid in extending battery life, and is now also implemented in desktop systems to reduce power consumption.

Mobile PentiumŪ Processors Product Linecard