Intel has been using the current bus architecture and design for some time now, and it’s more often than not we hear about how other companies have moved on to newer, more flexible and scalable interfaces. The most obvious being AMD and its choice to implement HyperTransport with its Opteron server processors, which also allowed it to capture a rather large portion of the server market due to technological superiority, but also due to the weaknesses of the NetBurst architecture. Much like with the Core architecture, Intel has realized that the bus interface of today needs to be refreshed and so we started hearing rumors about something called CSI (Common System Interface).
Information about the new interface have been rather scarce, but available to some extent, but over at Real World Technologies they’ve published a rather extensive and deep article covering Intel’s new and coming CSI. The article presents a lot of interesting information, but it takes a fundamental understanding for how processors and their interfaces work to be able to grab more than the gist of it. In short, CSI will be a turning point for Intel. CSI looks to reduce or even move Intel up to the same level as AMD and HyperTransport on the server market.
CSI will result in lower system latencies and an overall lower stress on the system, which is of course something that will improve desktop performance as well. CSI will first be implemented with the coming Nehalem processors, which are slated for release during the second half of 2008. Until then we will have to settle for Wolfdale, Yorkfield and the other coming processors using the current interface.
We really recommend you to give the article a try if you’re into computer interfaces.
