Specifications

40 IBM Power 770 and 780 Technical Overview and Introduction
2.1 The IBM POWER7 processor
The IBM POWER7 processor represents a leap forward in technology achievement and
associated computing capability. The multi-core architecture of the POWER7 processor has
been matched with innovation across a wide range of related technologies to deliver leading
throughput, efficiency, scalability, and RAS.
Although the processor is an important component in delivering outstanding servers, many
elements and facilities have to be balanced on a server to deliver maximum throughput. As
with previous generations of systems based on POWER processors, the design philosophy
for POWER7 processor-based systems is one of system-wide balance in which the POWER7
processor plays an important role.
In many cases, IBM has been innovative in order to achieve required levels of throughput and
bandwidth. Areas of innovation for the POWER7 processor and POWER7 processor-based
systems include (but are not limited to) these:
򐂰 On-chip L3 cache implemented in embedded dynamic random access memory (eDRAM)
򐂰 Cache hierarchy and component innovation
򐂰 Advances in memory subsystem
򐂰 Advances in off-chip signaling
򐂰 Exploitation of long-term investment in coherence innovation
The superscalar POWER7 processor design also provides a variety of other capabilities:
򐂰 Binary compatibility with the prior generation of POWER processors
򐂰 Support for PowerVM virtualization capabilities, including PowerVM Live Partition Mobility
to and from POWER6 and POWER6+ processor-based systems