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| proc = 500 nm | | proc = 500 nm | ||
| tech = BiCMOS | | tech = BiCMOS | ||
− | | clock min = | + | | clock min = 400 MHz |
| clock max = 533 MHz | | clock max = 533 MHz | ||
− | | package = CBGA- | + | | package = CBGA-356 |
| socket = | | socket = | ||
}} | }} | ||
− | '''X704''' (stylized as '''X<sup>704</sup>''') was a family of high-performance [[PowerPC]] [[microprocessor]]s announced by [[Exponential Technology]] in [[1996]]. At the time, these chips ran over three | + | '''X704''' (stylized as '''X<sup>704</sup>''') was a family of high-performance [[PowerPC]] [[microprocessor]]s announced by [[Exponential Technology]] in [[1996]]. At the time, these chips ran over three tims the clock rate as [[Motorola]]'s/[[IBM]]'s or [[Intel]]'s (albeit not as fast in direct performance). Exponential took over 18 months to get their final product to market by which time most of their competitive advantage was lost. Exponential's chips were also caught in the crossfire between [[Apple]] and [[Macintosh clone]] manufacturers, which ultimately sealed their fate. |
− | == | + | == Overview == |
{{see also|Exponential Technology}} | {{see also|Exponential Technology}} | ||
Exponential took on a very ambitious challenge of designing a PowerPC [[microarchitecture]] from the ground up that could operate at extremely high clock frequency for the time - 533 MHz. Comparable chips at the time of Exponential founding were operating at only 50-75 MHz max. By [[1993]] the idea was backed by [[Apple]] and their CEO [[wikipedia:Michael Spindler|Michael Spindler]] which became the principal investor of the newly created company, [[exponential technology|Exponential]]. | Exponential took on a very ambitious challenge of designing a PowerPC [[microarchitecture]] from the ground up that could operate at extremely high clock frequency for the time - 533 MHz. Comparable chips at the time of Exponential founding were operating at only 50-75 MHz max. By [[1993]] the idea was backed by [[Apple]] and their CEO [[wikipedia:Michael Spindler|Michael Spindler]] which became the principal investor of the newly created company, [[exponential technology|Exponential]]. | ||
− | In [[1994]] [[Apple]] and Exponential signed a | + | In [[1994]] [[Apple]] and Exponential signed a juint development agreement and later that year they formed an agreement with [[Hitachi]] which agreed to manufacture their chip at their [[BiCMOS]] foundry. By [[1996]] with their chip just months away from [[engineering sample]], Apple's CEO, then [[wikipedia:Gil Amelio|Gil Amelio]] extended their agreement to gain exclusive rights to the chip for the first nine months of [[volume production]]. The deal included a $5 million prepayment - a payment Apple never delivered. |
− | First samples of the X704 came back running at only 410 MHz, | + | First samples of the X704 came back running at only 410 MHz, 75% of the expected speed. Exponential attributed the issue to a bug in their custom design tools. This pushed back the deliver date to March of [[1997]]. Even then, the chip would have been considerably faster than the fastest chips on the market at the time - Intel's {{intel|Pentium II|Klamath}} which ran as high as 233 MHz. |
− | By February of [[1997]], the X704 was | + | By February of [[1997]], the X704 was at the final stages. Around the same time, Exponential displayed an X704-based machine to journalists at the LA [[wikipedia:Dreamworks|Dreamworks Studios]], running complex 3D animations and wowing the audiences. About the same time, [[IBM]] announced a new chip: the {{ibm|Mach 5}}. While clocked at only 250 MHz, its considerably larger cache and wider datapath promised to match X704's performance. IBM chip was also to be manufactured on their new [[0.25 µm process]] (compared to X704's [[0.5 µm]]). |
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== Architecture == | == Architecture == | ||
{{main|exponential_technology/microarchitectures/x704|l1=X704 Microarchitecture}} | {{main|exponential_technology/microarchitectures/x704|l1=X704 Microarchitecture}} | ||
− | + | {{empty section}} | |
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== Die Shot == | == Die Shot == |
Facts about "X704 - Exponential Technology"
designer | Exponential Technology + |
first announced | October 21, 1996 + |
full page name | exponential technology/x704 + |
instance of | microprocessor family + |
instruction set architecture | PowerPC + |
main designer | Exponential Technology + |
manufacturer | Hitachi + |
microarchitecture | X704 + |
name | X704 + |
package | CBGA-359 + |
process | 500 nm (0.5 μm, 5.0e-4 mm) + |
technology | BiCMOS + |
word size | 32 bit (4 octets, 8 nibbles) + |