5,000 megawatts of RISC-V processor power...
5,000 megawatts of RISC-V processor power...
I'm curious about whether the count of Cores/Threads directly affects how much you can boost clock speeds. My thought is that having more cores might make it tougher to reach higher speeds because of other factors like memory speed, channels, I/O performance, and bus capacity. These elements also play a role in determining overall system performance.
IPC primarily influences clock speed; achieving a high IPC is more challenging than a lower IPC with faster clocks. When it comes to core numbers, focus should be on boosting cooler performance and improving board VRM efficiency to reduce heat-related power loss.
In a single architecture setup, it generally holds true. However, varying architectures and reduced node sizes don't always guarantee it. AMD, for instance, achieved better power efficiency with the Ryzen 3 compared to the Ryzen 2 despite similar manufacturing nodes.
Typically IPC alone doesn't capture the full picture because RISC-based processors generally offer much higher IPC than CISC ones. The main distinction lies in how many instructions can be executed per clock cycle—complex CISC instructions can replace multiple simpler RISC instructions. Clock speed is also constrained by design complexity; even with advanced nodes and extensive pipelining, simpler designs can achieve very high frequencies since they minimize combinatorial logic and keep each cycle short, boosting the clock rate while reducing operations per cycle.