The Alpha 21264 microprocessor

TLDR

Alpha microprocessors have led performance since 1992, with successive generations raising expectations, and the 21264 was designed to continue that leadership while remaining upward‑compatible. The 21264 achieves high performance through high clock speeds, advanced out‑of‑order and speculative execution, and a high‑bandwidth memory system that delivers data quickly to the core. Benchmark tests (30+ SPECint95, 58+ SPECfp95) confirm the 21264 sets a new performance standard, sustaining a broad installed base across database, real‑time visual computing, data mining, medical imaging, and scientific applications.

Abstract

Alpha microprocessors have been performance leaders since their introduction in 1992. The first generation 21064 and the later 21164 raised expectations for the newest generation-performance leadership was again a goal of the 21264 design team. Benchmark scores of 30+ SPECint95 and 58+ SPECfp95 offer convincing evidence thus far that the 21264 achieves this goal and will continue to set a high performance standard. A unique combination of high clock speeds and advanced microarchitectural techniques, including many forms of out-of-order and speculative execution, provide exceptional core computational performance in the 21264. The processor also features a high-bandwidth memory system that can quickly deliver data values to the execution core, providing robust performance for a wide range of applications, including those without cache locality. The advanced performance levels are attained while maintaining an installed application base. All Alpha generations are upward-compatible. Database, real-time visual computing, data mining, medical imaging, scientific/technical, and many other applications can utilize the outstanding performance available with the 21264.