中国梦：龙芯首款商用微处理器Godson发布

中国处理器芯片设计业者龙芯(Loongson Technology)开始提供其首款商用微处理器的样品，并计划在今年秋天投入量产，供应给最多十家的当地服务器制造商；如果龙芯成功写下该里程碑，将意味着中国科技产业主管机关长期以来的梦想终获实现──打造出采用自制处理器的中国国产计算机。 根据龙芯与中国科学院(Chinese Academy of Sciences)代表在近日(2/17~21)于美国旧金山举行的国际固态电路会议(ISSCC)上的介绍，该款 Godson 3B1500服务器处理器是8核心芯片，目前样品是以32纳米制程生产，并预计在两个月之内以28纳米制程投片；而28纳米版本的产品将会是龙芯第一款商用处理器。 不过在龙芯负责Godson 3B1500处理器开发的Weiwu Hu在ISSCC会场接受EETimes美国版编辑采访时表示，龙芯处理器架构虽已经开发近十年，仍在初期发展阶段；意法半导体(ST)在过去也曾经是龙 芯的代工伙伴。“我们的生态系统规模还很小；”Hu指出，龙芯过去18个月以来一直在积极发展64位MIPS核心处理器软件社群。 龙芯的工程师已经为Godson打造了一个数据库以及架构于Linux上的Java语言中介软件(middleware)平台；此外他们也开发了一个执行储 存与电子邮件服务器的软件堆栈。“我们一开始锁定的是拥有固定软件堆栈的专属市场。”Hu表示，Godson 3B1500已经测试过执行开放源码KVM虚拟软件以及Hadoop，这类软件能有助于让该处理器进军网络服务业者如百度的资料中心通用服务器。 Hu 指出，中国服务器制造商曙光(Dawning)、长城(Great Wall)与浪潮(Inspur)都包括在打算采用Godson处理器的十家系统业者之内；也许该款处理器在性能上稍逊于英特尔(Intel)等同业的竞 争产品，但龙芯与其合作伙伴可提供价格与中国本地支持方面的优势。 除了商用服务器处理器，龙芯也正在为中国政府开发超级计算机、个人计算机、嵌入式系统应用的其它版本Godson。“我们已经完成几千台Godson桌上型计算机的试运转；”Hu表示：“那些系统主要是运用在政府相关的业务。”除此之 外，32位嵌入式版本的Godson核心也已经应用在中国业者海尔(Haier)、海信(Hisense)所开发的电视机；Hu指出，龙芯拥有 Godson所采用的MIPS架构授权。 另一家中国业者国芯(C*Core )也开发嵌入式处理器授权并提供授权，该公司的技术是采用摩托罗拉(Motorola)的 M*Core设计架构。根据Hu说法，中国至少还有其它两个微处理器开发团队，默默地进行超级计算机等级的设计案；龙芯也正在开发该类高性能版本的 Godson。 本文授权编译自EE Times，版权所有，谢绝转载 编译：Judith Cheng 参考英文原文：Slideshow: China's Godson processors to power servers in 2014，by Rick Merritt

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{pagination} Slideshow: China's Godson processors to power servers in 2014 Rick Merritt Weiwu Hu (pictured) said Loongson Technology is sampling a 32-nm Godson server processor and plans to ship a 28-nm version this fall to as many as ten server makers in China. SAN FRANCISCO – Loongson Technology Corp. Ltd. is sampling its first commercial microprocessor with plans to ship production chips in the fall to as many as 10 China server makers. The milestone, if reached, represents a long-term dream of China’s technocrats--a home-grown computer based on its own microprocessor. Loongson (Beijing, China) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences described the Godson 3B1500, an eight-core server chip, at the International Solid State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) here. The 32-nm part is sampling now with the tape-out of a shrink to a 28-nm manufacturing process expected within two months. The 28-nm version will be Loongson’s first commercial processor, Weiwu Hu, who heads the project, told EE Times in an interview at ISSCC. He cautioned that it’s still early days for the architecture despite the fact it has been in development for nearly a decade. STMicroelectronics NV has been a manufacturing partner for Loongson in the past. "Our ecosystem is still small," Hu said, noting Loongson has been actively developing a server software community for its 64-bit MIPS-based processor for about 18 months. Developers in China have created a database and middleware platform for Godson in Java that rides on Linux. They have also developed a software stack for running storage and email servers. "We are initially targeting dedicated markets with fixed software stacks," said Hu, who attended ISSCC in a traditional Mao-era suit fitted with a red pin signifying his membership of the Communist Party The processor has been tested running open-source KVM virtualization software as well as Hadoop, he said. Such software could help it make inroads into general-purpose servers in data centers for Web services such as Baidu, China’s search engine. China server makers Dawning, Great Wall and Inspur are among the ten systems companies planning to use Godson. The processor may sport somewhat lower performance than competing chips from Intel and others, but Loongson and its partners will have an advantage in price and in local support, Hu said. Loongson and CAS oversee two of about six major microprocessor efforts in China, Hu said. Besides its effort in commercial servers, Loongson is working on versions of Godson for government supercomputers as well as for personal computers and embedded systems. "We have done pilot runs of a few thousand Godson desktops," Hu said. “They are being used mainly in government-related businesses." In addition, 32-bit embedded versions of the Godson core are already used in televisions made by China’s Haier and Hisense. Loongson has a license to the MIPS architecture on which Godson is based, Hu added. Separately, C*Core develops and licenses embedded processors. Its technology is based on Motorola’s M*Core design. At least two other microprocessor teams in China are quietly working on supercomputer-class projects, Hu said. Loongson is also developing versions of Godson for such high performance systems, he added. The following pages provide some details of the 32-nm Godson 3B1500 processor that Loongson is now sampling.