The Importance of Substrates in High Performance CPUs

When it comes to high performance CPUs, it's easy to focus on the tiny transistors that make them work so efficiently. But have you ever stopped to think about what the substrate, the material beneath the processor die, is like? It's a crucial component that provides structural support and carries signals, making it an essential part of the CPU.

Most CPUs use substrates made from epoxy and fiberglass, which are plastic-reinforced with woven glass fibers. However, Intel is now moving towards using substrates based on refined glass instead. These glass core substrates have several advantages over their organic counterparts, including improved heat resistance. Unlike organic substrates, which can stretch and relax in unpredictable ways, actual glass is stiffer and more resistant to thermal warping.

This extra stability means that the substrate can accommodate more routing holes for power and data connections, leading to better signal integrity. As our transistors become smaller, it's becoming increasingly challenging to maintain good signal integrity. For example, top-end server processors often suck down hundreds of watts of power but run at only around 1 volt, requiring a lot of current to be pushed through the system. Glass substrates are more stable than organic ones at higher temperatures, allowing for a greater number of data and power connections.

This improved performance can lead to significant advantages in various applications. For instance, the new glass substrates can help improve the communication between chiplets on the same package by reducing the distance between the bumps that connect the substrate to the die. This makes it easier for manufacturers to create more powerful processors with better performance and efficiency. The increased stability of the substrate also allows for more processing dies to be placed on a single chip, leading to improved compute power per package.

But what does this mean for the average computer user? In short, not much – at least, not yet. Intel is currently focusing on rolling out data center chips with these new substrates in the second half of the decade, while consumer-grade CPUs are expected to arrive towards the end of the decade. This means that users won't see significant improvements in their home computers just yet. However, it's an exciting development for the tech industry as a whole, and one that could lead to significant advancements in processing power and efficiency.

The Role of Data Centers in Drive Inovation

One of the key drivers behind Intel's focus on new substrate technology is the growing demand for cloud computing and AI processing. As more and more applications move online, data centers are becoming increasingly important hubs for processing and storage. The sheer amount of electricity and data flowing through these facilities requires innovative solutions to improve efficiency and performance.

Data centers are where many of the world's most powerful computers are located, and they're driving innovation in areas like AI and machine learning. By improving the substrate technology used in these systems, Intel hopes to create more powerful processors that can handle the demands of cloud computing. The new glass substrates have the potential to double the data rate between two chips in a data center, making it an attractive solution for applications that require high-speed processing.

In addition to improved performance, the new substrate technology also has implications for manufacturing. Glass is easier to flatten out than organic materials, which makes it simpler and more cost-effective to create complex chip structures. This could lead to significant reductions in production costs and times, making it easier for manufacturers to keep up with demand for high-performance processors.

The Future of CPU Substrates

So what can we expect from the future of CPU substrates? In short, a lot. As Intel continues to develop its new glass substrate technology, we can expect to see significant improvements in processing power and efficiency. The ability to accommodate more routing holes and improve signal integrity will lead to faster and more reliable systems.

Of course, there are also practical considerations to take into account. One of the main challenges facing the development of these new substrates is weight. Glass is heavier than organic materials, which could make it harder to fit into smaller spaces. However, Intel is working to overcome this challenge through innovative design and manufacturing techniques.

As we look to the future, it's clear that CPU substrate technology will play a critical role in shaping the performance and efficiency of our computers. Whether you're a data center operator or an average computer user, it's exciting to think about what these advancements might bring. From improved processing power to reduced energy consumption, the potential benefits are vast.

Thanking Our Sponsors

As we wrap up this article, we want to take a moment to thank our sponsor, Touring College. If you're interested in learning more about data science, analytics, engineering, and AI, Touring College is an excellent resource. Their courses are self-paced and project-based, allowing you to control your own study schedule. And as an exclusive offer, they'll randomly select one of the first 100 people who go through their application process and offer them a full scholarship towards a paid course.

To learn more about Touring College and their courses, be sure to check out their website. They're accredited, affordable, and designed to help you succeed in the real world. Whether you're looking to upskill or reskill, Touring College is an excellent choice. Thanks for watching, and we look forward to seeing you on the next article!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwhen you think of high performance CPUs you probably think about how we've shrunk transistors over the years to the point where we can fit an insane number of them onto just one chip but did you know that the substrate the processor dice sits on is also very important not only do substrates give the delicate D structural support they also carry signals and connect the D to other parts of the system on most CPUs the substrate is primarily made from epoxy and fiberglass that's plastic reinforced with woven glass fibers but Intel is moving towards using substrates that are based on refined glass instead it's more like what you picture when you think of glass like like actual glass these glass core substrates have advantages that can allow for higher performance than the current fiberglass and epoxy organic substrates that have served us well since the early 2000s one big one is how glass substrates react to heat because chips are often heating up and cooling down as different kinds of workloads are put on them or organic substrates stretch and relax in unpredictable ways actual glass is stiffer and a lot more resistant to Thermal warping this extra stability means you can put more routing holes in the substrate for extra power and data connections not to mention better signal Integrity which is increasingly challenging as our transistors become smaller and smaller no matter what we do to stop them for a practical example think about how topend server processors suck down hundreds of watts of power but run at only around 1 volt if you remember your high school physics this means you're having to push through lots of current at one time which is pretty inefficient and leads to some of that power getting lost because glass is more stable than organic substrates at higher temperatures you can put in a greater number of data and power connections which improves both signal integrity and power efficiency it's a pretty cool feat of engineering but what does this actually mean for you the average computer enjoyer we'll tell you right after we thank the sponsor of this video touring College if you feel like educating yourself in the field of data science analytics engineering and AI touring is an accredited online college offering diverse courses designed to help you succeed in the real world their courses are self-paced and project-based meaning you control your own study schedule as an exclusive offer Turing College will randomly select one of the first 100 people that went through their application process and offer them a full scholarship towards a paid course follow the link below and get edicated part of the reason Intel is so concerned about power efficiency and Signal Integrity is due to how much electricity and data goes through data centers that do lots of AI processing and since most of us use some kind of cloud AI service these days switching CPU substrates is one of several developments that will help ensure our AI capacity can continue to grow in fact the new substrates lead to a theoretical doubling of the data rate between two chips in a Data Center and will even help with communication between chiplets on the same package due to allowing smaller distances between the bumps that connect the substrate to the die glass is also easier to flatten out than organic substrates which makes manufacturing significantly simpler and combined with the advantages we've already discussed chip makers should end up being able to put more processing dyes on one chip as well as make those dyes larger giving us more compute power per package just gets getting better and better but are glass substrates also going to be coming to the CPUs we have in our home PCS the short end answer is yes but we may be in for a bit of a weight as the limitations that glass substrates are meant to address are more of a concern for data centers right now Intel is looking at rolling out data center chips with the new substrates in the second half of this decade while we'll likely see consumer chips towards the end of the decade until then though there's nothing wrong with using fiberglass I mean it's good enough for surfboards hey what are you doing here at the end of the video you rascal hey thanks for watching keep that like the video if you liked it dislike it if you disliked it check it out our other videos comment below with video suggestions and don't forget to subscribe and follow already it's been it's been it's been long enoughwhen you think of high performance CPUs you probably think about how we've shrunk transistors over the years to the point where we can fit an insane number of them onto just one chip but did you know that the substrate the processor dice sits on is also very important not only do substrates give the delicate D structural support they also carry signals and connect the D to other parts of the system on most CPUs the substrate is primarily made from epoxy and fiberglass that's plastic reinforced with woven glass fibers but Intel is moving towards using substrates that are based on refined glass instead it's more like what you picture when you think of glass like like actual glass these glass core substrates have advantages that can allow for higher performance than the current fiberglass and epoxy organic substrates that have served us well since the early 2000s one big one is how glass substrates react to heat because chips are often heating up and cooling down as different kinds of workloads are put on them or organic substrates stretch and relax in unpredictable ways actual glass is stiffer and a lot more resistant to Thermal warping this extra stability means you can put more routing holes in the substrate for extra power and data connections not to mention better signal Integrity which is increasingly challenging as our transistors become smaller and smaller no matter what we do to stop them for a practical example think about how topend server processors suck down hundreds of watts of power but run at only around 1 volt if you remember your high school physics this means you're having to push through lots of current at one time which is pretty inefficient and leads to some of that power getting lost because glass is more stable than organic substrates at higher temperatures you can put in a greater number of data and power connections which improves both signal integrity and power efficiency it's a pretty cool feat of engineering but what does this actually mean for you the average computer enjoyer we'll tell you right after we thank the sponsor of this video touring College if you feel like educating yourself in the field of data science analytics engineering and AI touring is an accredited online college offering diverse courses designed to help you succeed in the real world their courses are self-paced and project-based meaning you control your own study schedule as an exclusive offer Turing College will randomly select one of the first 100 people that went through their application process and offer them a full scholarship towards a paid course follow the link below and get edicated part of the reason Intel is so concerned about power efficiency and Signal Integrity is due to how much electricity and data goes through data centers that do lots of AI processing and since most of us use some kind of cloud AI service these days switching CPU substrates is one of several developments that will help ensure our AI capacity can continue to grow in fact the new substrates lead to a theoretical doubling of the data rate between two chips in a Data Center and will even help with communication between chiplets on the same package due to allowing smaller distances between the bumps that connect the substrate to the die glass is also easier to flatten out than organic substrates which makes manufacturing significantly simpler and combined with the advantages we've already discussed chip makers should end up being able to put more processing dyes on one chip as well as make those dyes larger giving us more compute power per package just gets getting better and better but are glass substrates also going to be coming to the CPUs we have in our home PCS the short end answer is yes but we may be in for a bit of a weight as the limitations that glass substrates are meant to address are more of a concern for data centers right now Intel is looking at rolling out data center chips with the new substrates in the second half of this decade while we'll likely see consumer chips towards the end of the decade until then though there's nothing wrong with using fiberglass I mean it's good enough for surfboards hey what are you doing here at the end of the video you rascal hey thanks for watching keep that like the video if you liked it dislike it if you disliked it check it out our other videos comment below with video suggestions and don't forget to subscribe and follow already it's been it's been it's been long enough\n"