Chipset - the last survivor

Computers are getting smaller and the functions once require multiple chips to be merged or transferred to the processor processor, except for one thing: the bridge connects the CPU and the motherboard to the hardware system, aka chipset.

This comment was made recently by the world's No. 1 semiconductor group Intel. If the processor microprocessor is the brain of the computer, the chipset is the central nervous system. The traditional PC design uses a 2-chip chipset, in which one acts as a memory controller and the other is responsible for controlling input / output data (I / O).

Although the role of computing components has evolved, the demand for I / O data source devices remains unchanged. High-end computers and mid-range products all need a chipset to control the flow of information between the main processor and other components, such as a solid-state drive or a standalone graphics card.

Source: omnisys.se " Chipset does not disappear but over time it will evolve, " said Richard Malinoski, vice president and general manager of Intel's chipset division. " However, I think the prospect of a chip is strong enough to make all the computer tasks slightly inflated. We are still far from the model ."

Even so, big changes are happening. Intel rival AMD has become the first PC chip manufacturer to remove the memory controller and transfer it to the same piece of silicon with the main processor to improve performance. Meanwhile, Intel also plans to do the same with the Nehalem project, a new processor design they promoted for 2008.

The market is waiting for both Intel and AMD to include graphics features on some chipsets to the processor, if not all, are also some of the main product lines. In the not too distant future, many PCs will have processors that include graphics functions. However, independent graphics processors will still be used, especially for high-end systems and gaming computers.

The integration of PC components will take place most aggressively in the field of developing mobile supercomputers. Designers are racing to integrate multiple components, to minimize power consumption and reduce the size and weight of personal computing devices. Products such as Asustek's Eee PC or Via Technologies' NanoBook introduced at Computex last week, have clearly demonstrated this trend.

Recently, Via CEO Wenchi Chen announced the new Mobile ITX motherboard with dimensions of 7.5 x 4.5 cm, which is smaller than a business card. Chen claims Via will release smaller circuit boards using CPUs that mount the main processor with the chipset and graphics card in a single combination. " A single CPU chip that takes on all roles will soon come out ," Chen said.