A 5.2GHz microprocessor chip for the IBM zEnterprise™ system

Abstract

The microprocessor chip for the IBM zEnterprise 196 (z196) system is a high frequency, high-performance design that adds support for out-of-order instruction execution and increases operating frequency by almost 20% compared to the previous 65nm design, while still fitting within the same power envelope. Despite the many difficult engineering hurdles to be overcome, the design team was able to achieve a product frequency of 5.2GHz, providing a significant per formance boost for the new system.