Intel Timna
Encyclopedia
Timna was the codename of a proposed central processing unit
(CPU) family by Intel. The project was announced in 1999 and was designed in Haifa
, Israel
; "Timna" is also the name of a valley
in Israel
.
The chip was supposed to be the first CPU with an integrated graphics processing unit
(GPU) and random access memory (RAM) controller which was designed to work with the RDRAM
type of RAM. The price of RDRAM did not drop as expected by Intel. It was decided to use the Memory Translator Hub (MTH) that is also used by the Intel 820 chipset to link Timna with the SDRAM
type of RAM. Later, a serious defect was discovered in the design of the MTH and so the Intel 820 based motherboards using it had to be recalled. The MTH was rebuilt again but problems remained.
Timna was canceled on September 29, 2000.
The processor was expected to be clocked from 600 MHz to 700 MHz, use a 133 MHz front-side bus (FSB), have a L2 cache size of 128 KB, and was to be manufactured at a 180 nm process.
Intel Haifa was later tasked to be the backup team for intel's mobile CPU design. Their knowledge of Timna's P6
derived architecture heavily influenced their project Banias.
Central processing unit
The central processing unit is the portion of a computer system that carries out the instructions of a computer program, to perform the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the system. The CPU plays a role somewhat analogous to the brain in the computer. The term has been in...
(CPU) family by Intel. The project was announced in 1999 and was designed in Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
; "Timna" is also the name of a valley
Timna valley
The Timna Valley is located in southern Israel in the southwestern Arabah, approximately 30 km north of the Gulf of Aqaba and the town of Eilat...
in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
The chip was supposed to be the first CPU with an integrated graphics processing unit
Graphics processing unit
A graphics processing unit or GPU is a specialized circuit designed to rapidly manipulate and alter memory in such a way so as to accelerate the building of images in a frame buffer intended for output to a display...
(GPU) and random access memory (RAM) controller which was designed to work with the RDRAM
RDRAM
Direct Rambus DRAM or DRDRAM is a type of synchronous dynamic RAM. RDRAM was developed by Rambus inc., in the mid-1990s as a replacement for then-prevalent DIMM SDRAM memory architecture....
type of RAM. The price of RDRAM did not drop as expected by Intel. It was decided to use the Memory Translator Hub (MTH) that is also used by the Intel 820 chipset to link Timna with the SDRAM
SDRAM
Synchronous dynamic random access memory is dynamic random access memory that is synchronized with the system bus. Classic DRAM has an asynchronous interface, which means that it responds as quickly as possible to changes in control inputs...
type of RAM. Later, a serious defect was discovered in the design of the MTH and so the Intel 820 based motherboards using it had to be recalled. The MTH was rebuilt again but problems remained.
Timna was canceled on September 29, 2000.
The processor was expected to be clocked from 600 MHz to 700 MHz, use a 133 MHz front-side bus (FSB), have a L2 cache size of 128 KB, and was to be manufactured at a 180 nm process.
Intel Haifa was later tasked to be the backup team for intel's mobile CPU design. Their knowledge of Timna's P6
P6 (microarchitecture)
The P6 microarchitecture is the sixth generation Intel x86 microarchitecture, implemented by the Pentium Pro microprocessor that was introduced in November 1995. It is sometimes referred to as i686. It was succeeded by the NetBurst microarchitecture in 2000, but eventually revived in the Pentium M...
derived architecture heavily influenced their project Banias.