What’s quick, graphic, and green all over? Intel’s new chip, Sandy Bridge

One of the big trends in IT is what the pundits call “consumerisation.” Basically, consumers, note enterprise IT professionals, are driving the next enterprise IT solutions. Think of the number of iPhones/iPads and external thumb/pocket-drives on your corporate network.

In that context, a significant introduction was made at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) today, in LA. Intel announced the release of it’s latest processor, “Sandy Bridge,” with 1.16 billion transistors on each 32nano-meter chip. 1 nanometer is a billion times smaller than a meter, making it 1000 times smaller than a human hair, about the wavelength of visible light or about the size of a DNA helix. So we’re talking tiny. But good things come in small packages.

Primarily, these chips will handle graphics much better since it puts a graphics processor, microprocessor and memory controller all on a single chip, eliminating the hops that would occur between separate devices. That saves approximately 30% on power (HP say 50%) and significant time for graphics processing tasks.

Since video is the new email, and we’re all hooked onto digital content, the claim that Sandy Bridge will be “the cornerstone of a new computing revolution,” while clearly from the Intel marketing department, is actually not that far off. Clearly, the folks at Intel are excited. Sandy Bridge will represent more than a third of Intel’s revenue this year, and generate $US125 billion in revenue for the PC industry, predicts Intel chief executive Paul Otellini. Where does all that money come from? Well, Sandy Bridge chips will be featured in 500 devices from mobile handsets to notebook and desktop computers.

So what does enhanced graphics processing mean for your average consumer?

Speed: Faster “QuickSync” transcoding/conversion of video for shifting digital snippets from personal computers to iPads or iPods and transfers of content from your video camera onto your PC. This normally takes tens of minutes or even an hour. A Sandy Bridge enabled processor could reduce it to the range of minutes. This dovetails quite nicely with USB 3.0 capability.

Connectivity: A new WiDi (Wireless Display)  feature allow you to hook your PC with the big harddrive in the study to your big 3D LED TV in the lounge.

Support for new gesture interfaces: Real-time gesture-based controls and enhanced computer games with animated versions of players that mimic movements and facial expressions – early technologies that are hitting the market include Microsoft’s Kinect. We may not need keyboards beyond the next 5 years.  That scene from Minority Report is perhaps closer than we think.

Anti-piracy: “Intel Insider” capability poses a new challenge for pirates. To date, the film studios have been reluctant to put 3D and HD content online for fear of piracy. But that might change as the chip can now check to see if the content is copied or not.

CIO implications:

Factor this into your hardware refresh cycle, especially if you use a lot of video or graphics processing. This will make Windows 7 a better experience for your users.

Buy a MS Kinect to get used to the gesture based interfaces of the future

Look forward to a lower energy bill

Future:

So what’s next? One thing we can count on is that the chips will continue to get smaller (22nm is next for Ivy Bridge), faster, and more energy efficient.