POWER5 is a series of microprocessors developed by IBM . In fact, it is an improved version of its very successful predecessor POWER4 . The main differences are support for simultaneous multithreading and an integrated memory controller . Each of the two cores supports 2 threads of tasks, in total 4 threads can be executed simultaneously. Available in versions with 1 processor and 4 processors on the board. The advanced version of POWER5 + has two processors on the board.
| Power5 | |
|---|---|
| CPU | |
 Multiprocessor module with four POWER5 processors and four 36 Mbyte L3 cache modules | |
| Production | 2004 |
| Developer | Ibm |
| CPU frequency | 1.5—2.3 GHz |
| Production technology | 130–90 nm |
| Instruction sets | Power |
| Number of cores | 2 |
| L1 cache | 32KB + 32KB / core |
| L2 cache | 1.875 MB / chip |
| L3 cache | 36 MB / chip |
Several of these processors can work together, turning into a single vector processor, thanks to technology ViVA (Virtual Vector Architecture).
The processors are used in IBM p and i series servers, as well as controllers in high-end Infoprint printer systems and DS8000 storage servers . Bull also uses them in its Escala servers.
See also
- Power4
- Power6