Chinese chipmaker, Loongson, has successfully verified its next-gen 32-Core 3D5000 CPUs that utilize a chiplet architecture & launch in 2023.
Loongson develops 32-core 3D5000 server CPU targetting Chinese domestic server market, total cache size of 64MB with proprietary designs
With limited access to China for materials, especially in the manufacturing of next-gen CPUs, Loongson Technology has had to adjust to new technologies, such as chipset-based designs. The company has developed a new chip, the 3D5000 CPU, that uses a chiplet design and offers 32 cores to be used in various server configurations.
The 3D5000 is part of a long line of processors released by the company. The previously designed 3C5000 processor, which is currently in use, utilizes sixteen LA464 cores. Loongson Technology's "LA" core is a proprietary microarchitecture called LoongArch and is part of the Godson III series. The total cache size of the 3C5000 is 64MB, and it has four 64-bit DDR4 memory interfaces with 3200 Mhz bandwidth and support for ECC.
Loongson Technology uses two 3C5000 processors to develop the 32-core 3D5000 server-based CPU. The highest core layout on a server that can use Loongson Technology's 3D5000 CPU is one that offers 128 cores and consume power levels between 130 to 170 watts and bandwidths between 2.00 to 2.20 GHz, respectively. The new processor provides eight memory lanes with support for up to four-way multiprocessor configurations on its single design.
The SPEC CPU 2006 benchmark is a CPU benchmark application suite that pushes a processor to evaluate its performance and includes a compiler and memory subsystem. It is a standardized processor test in the industry. The Loongson 3D5000 has recently been tested and benchmarked, with scores of 400 points for the SPEC CPU 2006 benchmark test in base tests and over 800 points in the benchmark using a two-way 32-core configuration. It would make sense that the company would eventually surpass 1600 points in a four-way config, but it was not tested at the time of writing.
Loongson has had difficulty manufacturing the newest chips, especially with its multi-core designs and lack of access to materials. Since materials are more scarce, Loongson has shifted towards chiplet technology designs. SMIC, the production company for the Loongson chips, has had a slow start toward adopting brand-new modular technology, unlike TSMC. This places the company at a disadvantage as it cannot compete with large technology manufacturers such as leaders Intel and AMD.
Loongson Technology has initiated the process to ship the new processors during the first half of the following year, with commercialized models following shortly.
News Sources: Loongson Technology, Finance.Sina
