How is Multthreading important to Multicore Processors

How is Multithreading Important to Multi-core Processors
by Michael Moreno

In 2006 Intel launched its first 2 and 4 core x86 processors in under 6 months. This was perhaps one of the most impressive years in semiconductor history and I am proud to say that I played a part in it.

Now the question is, what does this mean for computer performance? Well, actually, most server and operating systems are already designed to take advantage of multi-core processors because they are programmed to separate different processes between cores. The process of separating processes to different cores is called multithreading.

What is multithreading? Multithreading is a way of programming software that allows different processes to share the same memory state and information between different threads. Now, you might ask, what is a thread? "Threads are a way for a program to split itself into two or more simultaneously (or pseudo-simultaneously) running tasks," according to Wikipedia. Basically, a task is any executing program running on the computer but a threaded task might be runing 2 or more executing programs at the same time. For example, the latest version of Excel that comes with Office 2007 is a multithreaded applications. What this means is the user will be able to run multiple calculations at the same time, or what will seem like the same time. On a dual-core processor, this means one calculation will run on one core and and the other will use the other core.

Why is this important? By spreading tasks among different cores, the computer can do more at the same time. This increases productivity and allows more do get done in a shorter period of time while consuming less electrical energy. Now, this isn't an easy thing to do because creating a threaded application is quite difficult. It requires creating different sections of code that run at different times and controlling how the processor processes the instructions and data of the application.

Like I said earlier, there are plenty of server and operating systems that already take advantage of multi-core. The challenge for Intel and other semiconductor companies is to get more applications that take advantage of multicore technology and program threaded applications. If more software is programed to take advantage of this new technology the end user will truly begin to see the benefits of improved hardware technology.


Sources:
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multithreading)