Researchers Build World’s First 1,000-core Processor

Here we regular humans are, bragging about processors ranging from 6-12 cores. But researchers at UC Davis have blown that out the water by developing the KiloCore – a CPU that (as the name suggests) packs 1,000 cores of punch!

Yes, I’m serious… We’re content with processors that are just about fast enough to handle 4k gaming, and yet the world of scientific technology just effectively pantsed every consumer processor manufacturer in the world.

With so many cores, this CPU is extremely good at handling parallel tasks such as encoding video, encryption, and processing scientific data. 

But that’s not even the best part, because this beast has the ability to shut down individual cores when not being used… That’s right! Thanks to that small innovation, this chip can conquer 115 billion instructions every second while using just 0.7W of power – that means you could run it off a single AA battery.

“So great,” I hear you proclaim. “When can I get my hands on one?” 

Probably never, I’m afraid…

UC Davis had IBM manufacture this on a pretty ancient 32-nanometer process, which is over double the size of the industry’s newest 14nm technique. And this is simply an experiment into what is physically possible. 

But running such a huge processor with a small power source raises the questions of popping this into a phone. While all 1,000 cores aren’t necessarily needed now (fewer, faster cores are better at dealing with multiple tasks than many cores), they could save a lot of time in the future with a faster clock speed and more power in, say, a laptop.

Put simply, it’s awesome.