PowerPC 970
In
computing, the
PowerPC 970,
PowerPC 970FX,
PowerPC 970GX, and
PowerPC 970MP, also known as
PowerPC G5, are
64-bit processors in the
PowerPC family from
IBM. The PowerPC 970 was introduced in
2002. The PowerPC 970 is built using a 130 nm manufacturing process, and the PowerPC 970FX and 970MP are built using a
90 nm fabrication process. The 970 and 970FX feature over 58 million
transistors, while the 970MP contains two cores, consisting of over 116 million transistors. They are based on the core from IBM's
POWER4 processor, and feature IBM's
VMX vector engine (a.k.a. AltiVec or Velocity Engine), also used in
Freescale's (formerly
Motorola)
G4 (PowerPC 74xx). Additionally, they are able to process
32-bit PowerPC
instructions natively.
In keeping with its previous naming conventions,
Apple Computer termed the PowerPC 970 the
G5 in an announcement in June,
2003. The term
G5 in this context stands for the fifth generation of PowerPC microprocessors. In 2004, the PowerPC 970FX replaced the PowerPC 970 in all of Apple's G5 computers. In late 2005, the 970MP replaced the 970FX in Apple's high end
Power Mac G5 computers, while the
iMac G5 and the 'legacy' Power Mac G5 continued to use the 970FX processor. In early 2006, IBM announced the PowerPC 970GX, a slightly redesigned 970FX core that reached 3 GHz.
IBM released the 970MP in the 3rd quarter of
2005, which is code-named "Antares". The
PowerPC 970MP is a dual-core processor that was initially released with a top speed of 2.5 GHz. This chip was initially produced at the
90 nm process. Additionally, the 970MP doubled the L2 cache on each core from 512 KB to 1 MB when compared with the 970FX.
The G5 ran at higher temperatures than older models meaning it could not be fitted into the
PowerBook or the
iBook. As a result, all laptops were fitted with the older
PowerPC G4 chip until the
Apple Intel transition.
*
ArsTechnica article part I*
ArsTechnica article part II*
IBM PowerPC 970FX RISC Microprocessor User's Manual*
PowerPC G5 at Apple*
Understanding 64-bit PowerPC architecture*
PowerPC G5 operating systems from LynuxWorks for embedded systems*
ISSCC 2006: IBM PowerPC 970MP
