Next-Generation PowerPC CPU Folds In Vector Processing Engine

In the MPC7400 PowerPC G4 microprocessor, traditional scalar processing is integrated with a fully independent, 128-bit vector processing engine on a single, copper-technology-based chip. This highest-performance member of the PowerPC processor family uses a parallel processing model called single instruction-multiple data (SIMD).While conventional processors generally execute one to three instructions per clock cycle, the MPC7400 with AltiVec technology can execute 20 operations per clock cycle, which, it's asserted, renders comparisons based on clock speeds virtually useless. In addition, the processor supports up to 2 Mbytes of backside Level 2 cache. Furthermore, it implements the firm's high-bandwidth MPX bus, which features minimized signal setup times, reduced idle cycles, and the ability to operate the system bus at speeds of more than 100 MHz.