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EC-QP97D-TE

March 1997

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Document:	Digital Semiconductor 21164 Alpha Microprocessor Product Brief
Order Number:	EC-QP97D-TE
Revision:	0
Pages:	2
Original Filename:

OCR Text

Alpha
21164

Digital Semiconductor
21164 Alpha Microprocessor
Product Brief
The Digital Semiconductor 21164 Alpha microprocessor is a high-performance
implementation of the DIGITAL Alpha architecture designed for Windows NT

desktop PCs and workstations. The 21164 improves productivity in today’s
demanding business world by bringing supercomputer performance to the
desktop.
Description

The 21164 has a superscalar design capable of issuing four instructions every clock cycle. The integration of an instruction cache, data cache, and second-level cache offers
unrivaled microprocessor performance. The 21164 uses a high-performance interface
to access main memory, data buses, and an optional board-level cache.
Benefits

• 100% Windows compatible
– Thousands of native applications
– High-performance translation technology for x86 applications

• Designed for the future using the 64-bit
Alpha architecture

• Highest performance Windows NT systems

• Designed to meet the needs of the PC industry
– Standard cooling
– Lower power

• Increased engineering and business productivity

• ATX motherboard turnkey OEM solution is available for quick time to market

• Host-based DVD playback
Features

• Fully pipelined 64-bit advanced RISC
(reduced instruction set computing) architecture
• Superscalar (4-way instruction issue)
• 0.35 µm CMOS technology
• Onchip, 8KB, direct-mapped L1 instruction cache
• Onchip, 8KB, direct-mapped, writethrough L1 data cache
• Onchip, 96KB, 3-way, set-associative,
write-back L2 unified instruction and
data cache
• Memory-management unit
• Serial ROM interface for initialization

31 March 1997 – Subject to Change

• Flexible high-performance interface
– 128-bit memory data path
– 3.3-V I/O
– Selectable parity protection or error
correction code (ECC) on data
– Programmable system interface; onethird to one-fifteenth of clock speed
– Control for optional offchip L3 cache,
with multiple timing options for industry-standard synchronous and asynchronous SRAMs
• Chip- and module-level test supports
JTAG (IEEE 1149.1)
• 499-pin ceramic interstitial pin grid array (IPGA) package
• Enhancements:
– Support for byte and word data types
– 2.0-V core for reduced power consumption
EC–QP97D–TE

21164 Functional Block Diagram

The 21164 consists of five independent functional units: the instruction fetch, decode, and branch unit; the integer execution unit; the memory-management unit; the cache control and bus interface unit; and the floating-point unit. There
are three onchip caches: the instruction cache, the data cache, and the second-level cache.
40−Bit
Address

21164

Instruction
Cache
8KB

Integer
Instruction
Fetch/
Decode
and
Branch
Unit

Merge
Logic

Second−
Level
Cache
96KB
Write−
Back

Integer
Data Cache
8KB
Write−Through

FP+

Thermal Management

The 21164 dissipates approximately 28 W at 366 MHz. Conventional forced air cooling
methods are sufficient to remove heat and maintain the highest levels of reliability. The
user may also define an application-specific heat sink.
Estimated Performance
Speed

SPECint95

SPECfp95

BIPS (billions of
instructions/sec)

600 MHz

18.0

27.0

2.4

500 MHz

15.4

21.1

2.0

433 MHz

13.3

18.3

1.7

366 MHz

11.3

15.4

1.5

Characteristics

Vss = 0.0 V, Vdd = 3.3 V ±5%,
Vddi = 2.5 V ±0.1 V

Environmental

Operating temperature

Ta = 50°C maximum (122°F)
Tj = 85°C maximum (185°F)

Storage temperature range

–55°C to +125°C (–67°F to +257°F)

Power dissipation
@ Vdd = 3.3 V
Vddi = 2.5 V
Frequency = 366 MHz

28 W maximum

For frequencies greater than 366 MHz, add 5 W for every 66 MHz.
Physical

31 March 1997 – Subject to Change

For More Information
To learn more about the availability of the
21164, contact your local semiconductor
distributor. To learn more about Digital
Semiconductor’s product portfolio, visit the
Digital Semiconductor World Wide Web
Internet site:
http://www.digital.com/semiconductor
or you can contact the Digital Semiconductor
Information Line:
United States and Canada
1–800–332–2717
Outside North America
1–510–490–4753
For technical support, contact the Digital
Semiconductor Customer Technology Center:

Electrical

Package

Backup
Cache
(Optional)

128−Bit
Data

FPx

Power supply

Bus
Interface
Unit

499-pin IPGA

Phone (U.S. and international)
1–508–568–7474
Fax
1–508–568–6698

While DIGITAL believes the information in this publication
is correct as of the date of publication, it is subject to change
without notice.
© Digital Equipment Corporation 1997.
All rights reserved.
Printed in U.S.A.
DIGITAL, Digital Semiconductor, the DIGITAL logo, and
the AlphaGeneration design mark are trademarks of Digital
Equipment Corporation.
Digital Semiconductor is a Digital Equipment Corporation
business.
IEEE is a registered trademark of The Institute of Electrical
and Electronics Engineers, Inc. Windows is a registered
trademark and Windows NT is a trademark of Microsoft
Corporation. SPEC is a trademark of Standard Performance
Evaluation Corporation.
All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the
property of their respective owners.