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Document:	Alpha AXP and Its 64-bit Architecture
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Alpha AXP
and Its
64-bit Architecture

Power for Today’s Applications,
The Foundation for Tomorrow’s Applications
Advances in communication technologies such as fax machines,
cellular telephones, and voice messaging systems have significantly
changed the way we communicate, helping to make our work both
easier and more productive. Now, a similar revolution is occurring
in the way we use computers. New technologies such as multimedia, voice recognition/translation, and virtual reality will enable people to work and to be entertained in ways completely different from
today.

Alpha AXP RISC
enables the affordable
use of new technology
such as multi-media,
including full-motion
video, voice
recognition/translation
and imaging

Imagine a future when a executive will simply instruct his desktop
system to, "show me the profitability for this product across both a
geographic and business cut" and can see the information immediately. A future where the power of a virtual reality application will let
you walk through a simulation of a house before it’s built. Or a future
where your desktop system automatically searches massive databases each morning to provide you with a news summary that includes audio and video clips and is specifically tailored to your
tastes and interests.
That future is not far away. Computer applications are experiencing the same leap in power that led from the mainframes and 16-bit
minicomputers of the early ’70s to the 32-bit microprocessors of the
mid-’80s. That increase in power began the age of desktop computing, moving computers to the desks of individuals and creating
whole new ways of working that didn’t exist prior to the availability of
32-bit systems.

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64-Bit Computing

Unlimited Growth into the 21st Century
Now, an advanced Super64 RISC architecture that provides for unlimited growth into the 21st century is stimulating the next generation of high-powered applications. Like its 32-bit predecessor, the
64-bit architecture will create whole new types of businesses, as
well as new ways of doing business.
What does a 64-bit architecture mean to you? Applications that
once would have required the power and precision of a
supercomputer will become common on your desktop system. The
64-bit architecture will enable and enhance such technologies as
multimedia, imaging, artificial intelligence, object-oriented programming, voice recognition/translation, and computer-aided design, engineering, and manufacturing. In turn, these technologies will allow
us to use computers in ways undreamed of now. For example, new
64-bit desktop systems will allow desktop production of video presentations to become as easy and as common as desktop publishing is today. In the not-too-distant future, a salesperson may film a
new product in action with his camcorder, capture the video in digital form on his desktop system, and then easily produce a
professional-class customized videotape sales presentation within a
few hours.

Alpha AXP and its
64-bit architecture
will fundamentally
change three major
areas in our every
day life:
The way we:
- communicate
- use information
- are entertained

If you have children, you’re probably aware of the transition from 8bit to 16-bit video games. The newer 16-bit video games, such as
the Nintendo Super NES and Sega Genesis systems, offer superior
graphics and animation in comparison to the older 8-bit systems. In
a similar fashion, 64-bit technology will allow application developers
to create new business applications clearly superior to applications
based on the older 32-bit technology.
These 64-bit systems will run applications faster and will allow applications to work with larger files and databases better than ever before. The power of Super64 RISC will allow applications to present
information in ways much easier for people to understand and work
with. Sound, video, voice recognition capabilities, and sophisticated
3-D graphics will become common in all types of applications. In
business, 64-bit technology will enable sophisticated business
modeling applications to provide executives with decision support
through "what-if" simulations for changes in personnel, economic
conditions, material supply, or competitive pressures.
Office systems will become richer for all levels of users, providing a
complete working environment with universal access to far more of

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an organization’s information. Eventually, with the power a 64-bit
system offers, applications will go far beyond document management, workflow and conferencing groupware, to simulating redesign of the business and a much greater understanding of competitive situations and risks. The additional computing capacity and
speed inherent in the 64-bit architecture will meet business computing needs for the next 25 years as new applications and systems
become available.

Increasing the Power of Today’s Applications
The move toward 64-bits is not only a promise for tomorrow, but
also a means for software developers to increase the power and
performance of end-user applications today. As the performance of
computer systems continues to grow each year, end-users are already placing increasing demands on applications to handle complex data and problems -- demands that force applications to push
the capabilities of 32-bit computing to the maximum. Some analysts
have suggested that leading industry applications have already
reached the limit of 32-bit computing, and that many more will have
reached the limit within the next two years.
The price of memory continues to drop with each passing year (See
Figure 1), while memory capacity continues to increase. NEC is expecting to produce over one million 16 Mb chips per month by mid1993 and all Japanese chip manufacturers are preparing to produce
16 Mb chips. Fujitsu, in fact, has announced plans to sell 256 Mb
chips by 1996. Clearly, the cost of memory will drop dramatically in
the years ahead. By 1995, the average mainframe and server system will have 16 GB (four times the addressing limit of 32-bit systems) of real memory, while workstations and desktop systems will
have 2 GB of real memory.

By 1995 the average server
will have 16 Gigabytes of
real memory, 4 tiimes the
addressing of 32-bit systems

Trends in Memory Prices and Densities
$5.00
$.50

256Mb
Bits/chip

Price/kbit

16Mb

$.05

Figure 1

1Mb
256kb

$.005
$.0005

16kb
4kb

.00005

1975

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1980

1985

64-Bit Computing

1990

Year

1995

2000

Every major manufacturer of microprocessors (See Table 1) has
plans to move to a Super64 RISC architecture and operating system to capitalize on new powerful systems with huge memory capacities. But while some companies are just beginning to catch up
with this trend, only Digital Equipment Corporation has implemented
a Super64 RISC architecture complete with operating system, product family, and software -- the Alpha AXP architecture.

Only the Alpha AXP
architecture has all the
components of a
64-bit system

Table 1

Architecture

Sponsor

Introduced

First System
Ship(ped)

64-bit OS
Support

First Available
Applications

Alpha AXP

Digital

1992

Available Now
(OSF)

Available Now

R4000
Sparc
Power
PA-RISC
P7 Pentium

SGI/MIPS
SUN/HAL
IBM
HP
Intel

1992
1993
1994
1994
1995

1992
1993(HAL)
1995
1995
1996

late 1995
1995
1996
1996
1997

1995
1996
1996
1996
1997

(Source: International Data Corporation, 1992)

Digital already is providing both the 64-bit architecture and the operating system needed to support it. Digital’s Super64 RISC architecture is fully implemented, including such features as 64-bit integer
and floating-point registers. These two features enhance the performance of a system’s integer and floating point calculations -- increasing performance to up to two or more times faster than a 32-bit
systems. Without the 64-bit addressing features incorporated into a
64-bit architecture, software developers would have to employ such
workarounds as segmentation, overlays, and indirect addressing to
have their applications access data beyond 32-bits (4 GB). This
proves very complicated, costly and difficult to port to alternative
platforms. In order for an architecture to be considered 64-bits it re-

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quires that the integer, addressing data paths and registers be 64bit, not just the floating point operations.
Table 2
Instruction Set Architecture
CPU

Year
Referred
Released to as *

Integer
Generated User
register size address size

Hardware Implementation
Physical
address size

Data
bus size

64-bit O/S
support ***

DEC VAX-11/780
IBM ESA/370
IBM AS/400

1978
1988
1988

32
32
48

31
32**
48

32
32
48

64
128
64

No
No
No

HP Precision Arch.
Sun SPARC
MIPS R4000
Motorola 68040
IBM POWER
Intel 486SX
DEC AXP 21064

1988
1987
1990
1990
1990
1991
1992

32
32
64
32
32
32
64

32**
32
40-62
32
32**
32**
43

32
36
36
32
32
32
34

32-64
32-64
64
32
64-128
32
64-128

No
No
No
No
No
No
Yes

* Processors are usually referred to by their integer register size.
** These processors use some form of segmentation to obtain more bits of address space.
***Added by Digital Equipment
Source: Gartner Group, 12/92

Digital’s Alpha AXP architecture is the industry’s first to combine the
speed and enormous addressing capability required to run the next
generation of high-powered applications. With Digital’s Alpha AXP
architecture, users will be able to run applications faster, with increased detail, and at a reduced cost. The Alpha AXP technology
will allow applications to handle larger databases, larger files, and
larger problems, even as databases in the future grow exponentially
to incorporate voice, video, imaging, and object-oriented elements.

Corporate data bases are growing at
a rate of 20-30% per year with
conventional data. With the
addition of new data types
such as voice, video and images,
data bases will grow exponentially

In fact, The Gartner Group noted in November 1992 that two Alpha
AXP platforms, the DEC 7000 AXP and DEC 10000 AXP systems,
appear to be significantly more powerful than the IBM ES/9000 520
class series of water cooled mainframe computers. The Gartner
Research Note stated, "...the two (Digital) systems are mainframes
in both processor performance and I/O capability. There is a 0.7
probability that the AXP 10000 will turn out to be faster than both
this year’s IBM 47 MIPS ES/9000 uniprocessor (model 520) and
next year’s 56 MIPS version. We estimate that an AXP 10000
single-processor system will run between 200 tpsA and 250 tpsA on
the TPC-A benchmark, potentially placing it in the 48-60 MIPS
range."

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Table 3

SPECmark 89
SPECint 92
SPECft 92
Chip speed MHz

Digital
21064

MIPS
R4000

HP
HP7100

IBM
RS/6000

SUN
Supersparc

183
106
200
200

70
58
62
100*

136
80
150
99

126
62
133
62.5

N/A
58
71
45

*R4400 150 MHz results not available

Alpha AXP Technology Acknowledged as the Best
Leading computer trade magazine editors throughout the world
have recognized the Alpha AXP microprocessor and systems as
among the best technologies introduced in 1992. In January 1993,
BYTE magazine recognized the Alpha AXP chip with an "Award of
Excellence" for being "one of the best products, technologies, and
standards [representing] the most significant developments in innovation, performance, and price." BYTE reported that "workstations
keep getting faster and faster, and DEC’s scalable Alpha AXP CPU
will help ensure this rising performance curve for the foreseeable
future."

Leading industry trade magazines
recognize Alpha AXP technology
as the best

DIGITAL NEWS AND REVIEW agrees. The Alpha AXP architecture
received an "Editor’s Select Award" in December 1992 for "fundamentally improving the way in which computers can be applied to
solve strategic applications problems." And CORPORATE COMPUTING noted that, "The real cymbal crash for the Alpha AXP architecture is for its openness ... DEC’s Alpha AXP machines run
more operating systems than any other workstation ... the Alpha
AXP architecture could boost enterprise computing to new levels."
The high speed and addressing capabilities of the Alpha AXP family
provide not only the power to solve today’s problems fast, but also
to solve complex problems faster. Most currently available applications will run faster simply by taking advantage of the 64-bit manipulation capabilities of the Alpha AXP architecture. For example,

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the processing power of the Alpha AXP architecture may allow
breakthroughs in scientists’ understanding of complex chemical reactions, such as the effect of drugs on nerve receptor sites. Currently, models of chemical reactions using quantum mechanic calculations can take days to process, even on the fastest 32-bit
processors. With the Alpha AXP architecture, the same reaction can
be modeled in a quarter of the time and viewed with greater clarity.
By speeding up these computations, the Alpha AXP architecture will
allow scientists to model larger molecules and gain more meaningful information on their behavior.
The Alpha AXP family will also dramatically improve the search for
information in all types of businesses. By allowing volumes of information to be brought on-line and even directly into memory, the Alpha AXP architecture will make the search for information much
easier and much more efficient. In fact Oracle Corporation says that
access to data in data bases contained wholly in memory can be up
to 500,000 faster than data stored on disk. The addressing capability of the Alpha AXP architecture allows a system’s physical memory to approach 281 billion bytes, meaning that extremely large databases -- billions of bytes of information -- can be loaded into main
memory.

Extremely large databases
stored in memory will
dramatically improve
application performance

Table 4
Data
Location

Access
Path

Access
Time (ns)

Registers

On-chip Cache

Main Memory

System
Backplane

50-100

Disk

I/O
Backplane

25,000,000

Source: Oracle Corporation

Longevity Protects Your Investment
A key difference between the Alpha AXP architecture and firstgeneration 32-bit RISC architectures is longevity. For a computer
architecture, longevity is based on three requirements: addressability, "openness" (that is, support for multiple operating systems), and

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scalable performance. Digital’s Alpha AXP is the only technology
that fulfills all three requirements.
Super64 RISC systems can address 4 billion times the information
of its 32-bit predecessors. Digital’s open business practices and architecture promote the sale or license of the architecture, chips,
boards, systems and software. And, Digital has compatible Alpha
AXP systems from the PC to the data center all capable of running
OpenVMS, DEC OSF/1, or Microsoft Windows NT.

Power for Today, Capacity for the Future
As noted earlier, the 64-bit Alpha AXP architecture will provide the
data and addressing capacity -- 4 billion times the capacity of 32
bits -- needed for the applications of tomorrow. To put the capacity
of 64-bit technology into perspective, consider this analogy: in comparison to 64 bits, 8 bits is the area of a business card; 16 bits is the
area of a desktop; 32 bits is the area of a city block -- while 64 bits
would be an area that would be almost twice as large as the total
land surface of the Earth, or an area ten times the size of North
America.

AXP systems are capable
of running the operating
system of your choice:
DEC OSF/1
OpenVMS
Microsoft Windows NT

Current applications have already begun to exhaust the capacities
of 32-bit architectures. This trend will only become worse for those
first-generation architectures as end-user demand for applications
that incorporate sound, video, high-quality rendering of graphics and
images and access to enormous databases continues to grow. For
instance, 45 seconds of quality, full-motion video requires as much
as 4 gigabytes of storage, the maximum allowed for 32-bit systems.
Clearly, multimedia applications of the future will require significant
database storage.

The Universal Platform Opens Doors for Current and
Future Operating Systems
The Alpha AXP family members are not point products developed
for any single technology platform, but rather an architecture -- a
blueprint for a de facto standard. The Alpha AXP architecture was
specifically designed with multiple software environments in mind.
Today, the Alpha AXP family supports DEC OSF/1, OpenVMS, and
Microsoft Windows NT. The tens of millions of people who currently
use DOS and Windows-based applications will be able to move to
64-bit systems, running their applications faster than
today’s

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fastest PCs. It’s expected that other operating systems will be
added during the coming years. With the Alpha AXP family of products, you’ll choose the operating system that best meets your application needs, without compromise.
Digital is committed to offering the deepest and broadest portfolio of
Alpha AXP applications. Over 1,100 software vendors have already
committed to making more than 2,000 applications available on
64-bit Alpha AXP systems. Plus, to ensure the wide availability of
Alpha AXP hardware and software, Digital is licensing the Alpha
AXP architecture and selling Alpha AXP chips, boards, and systems
-- making it easy for vendors to incorporate the benefits of the Alpha
AXP architecture into their products.

64-Bit Performance Saves Time and Money
The Alpha AXP architecture was developed to provide platform
scalability from the desktop system to the data center machine.
Just as with the VAX architecture, the Alpha AXP architecture is designed so that every Alpha AXP system -- from smallest to largest
-- will run the same applications and operating systems both now
and in the future. Just as with VAX VMS systems, applications developed for the Alpha AXP architecture will only need to be ported
once -- eliminating costly conversions and providing end-users with
unlimited growth into the future.
High performance will obviously always be in demand for computer
systems, and that’s why the Alpha AXP architecture was designed
with performance as a primary goal. The first-generation 64-bit microprocessor, the DECchip 21064, runs at up to 200 MHz making it
the fastest chip available (in fact, the DECchip 21064 microprocessor is currently acknowledged in The Guinness Book of Records as
the world’s fastest chip). In the future, the performance of Alpha
AXP-based systems is expected to increase by a factor of 1,000.
This will be accomplished through the use of superscalar and superpipeline techniques and memory management designed for the use
in massively parallel processing systems. In addition, the Alpha
AXP architecture can be implemented in many semiconductor technologies and is not restricted to CMOS.

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Summary
There are limits to the capabilities of any type of technology, including computer technology. Current applications are already approaching the boundaries imposed by the limits of 32-bit architectures, while market demand is increasing its push for the
incorporation of such things as video, audio, speech recognition,
object-oriented tools, and intelligent agents into the applications of
the future. But as both applications and databases continue to grow
in size and capabilities, they will also need to match user requirements for speed, performance, and usability.
Every major manufacturer of microprocessors is moving to the next
stage of computing -- 64-bit technology. But 64-bit technology isn’t
simply a promise on the horizon, it’s a concrete, viable means for
software developers to increase the current capabilities of their applications as well as to enhance their future applications. Super64
RISC technology means current applications will increase their performance, while enhancing their capabilities to handle larger databases, files, and problems.
Digital is leading the way in the market’s transition from 32 to 64-bit
computing with the first deployment of a full 64-bit RISC architecture
-- the Alpha AXP architecture. Digital’s initial implementation of the
Alpha AXP architecture offers the best price/performance available
today and supports the broadest range of systems and software in
the market.
The Alpha AXP architecture was designed with the future of open
systems in mind. Multiple software environments are already supported by the Alpha AXP architecture, with support for future operating systems equally assured. Alpha AXP technology offers unlimited growth into the 21st century for both software developers and
end users who will benefit from the new, powerful applications of the
future.
For more information contact:
Jerry Haigh
Digital Equipment Corporation
(508)264-5366
or
haigh@msbcs.enet.dec.com

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