DEC Alpha

Sponsorship the way you would do it

The DEC Alpha, also known as the Alpha AXP, is a 64-bit RISC microprocessor originally developed and fabricated by Digital Equipment Corp. (DEC), who used it in their own line of workstations and servers. Designed as a successor to the VAX line of computers, it supported the VMS operating system, as well as the DEC flavour of UNIX. Later open source operating systems also ran on the Alpha, notably certain BSD UNIX flavours. Microsoft supported the processor until Windows NT 4.0 SP6 and did not extend Alpha support to Windows 2000.

The Alpha 21064 was introduced in 1992 running at 200MHz (the Intel Pentium, in comparison, ran at 66MHz when it was launched the following spring). The 64-bit processor was a superpipelined and superscalar design. At the time, DEC touted it as the world's fastest processor. In July 1996 it was clocked at 500 MHz (the 21164PC), in March 1998 at 666 MHz and in May 2000 at 731MHz (the 21264). 1GHz and faster pieces were announced in 2001 (the 21364 or EV7), and are available since 2003 at 1.1GHz+. Around 500,000 Alpha based systems were sold to end-2000.

The production of Alpha chips was licensed to Samsung Electronics Company. Following the purchase of Digital by Compaq the majority of the Alpha products were placed with API NetWorks, Inc. (previously Alpha Processor Inc.), a private company funded by Samsung and Compaq. In October 2001 Microway became the exclusive sales and service provider of API NetWorks' Alpha-based product line.

Compaq announced that computers using Alpha would be phased out by 2004 in favour of Intel's Itanium. HP, new owner of Compaq, announced that support the Alpha series would continue even for a few more years, including the release of the EV7z chip, but this will be the final iteration of the chip. The IA-64 is supposed to be the replacement of this series.

Ironically, in mid-2003, as the Alpha were about to be phased out, the fastest computer in the U.S, and second fastest in the world, was a cluster of 4096 Alpha processors.

A persistent report attributed to DEC insiders suggests the choice of the AXP tag for the processor was made by DEC's legal department, who were still smarting from the VAX trademark fiasco. After a lengthy search the tag AXP was found to be entirely unencumbered.

Model History

Model AKA Year Frequency [Mhz] Process [ÃÂÃÂµm] Transistors [millions] Die size [mmÃÂÃÂ²] Pins Power [W] Voltage Mem [MB/s] Dcache [k] Icache [k] Scache Bcache ISA
EV4 21064 100-200 0.75 80 8 8

EV45 21064A 80 16 16

EV5 21164 1995 366-500 0.5 9.7 49? 296 56 3.3/2.5 150 8 8 96k 1 R
EV56 21164A 1996 400-767 0.35 54 300 8 8 96k 1-2M R,B
PCA56 21164PC 1997 400-533 0.35 3.5 141 264 32 3.3/2.5 8 16
1M R,B,M
PCA57 600-666 0.28 5.7 101 283 20 2.5/2.0 16 16
1M R,B,M
EV6 21264 1998 450-600 0.35 15.9 314 73 1600 64 64
2-8M R,B,M,F
EV67 21264A 1999 667-750 0.25 15.9 210 64 64
2-8M R,B,M,F,C
EV68AL 21264B 2001 800-833 0.18 15.9 125 64 64
2-8M R,B,M,F,C,T
EV68CB 21264C 64 64
2-8M R,B,M,F,C,T
EV68CX 21264D 64 64
2-8M R,B,M,F,C,T
EV7 21364 2003 800- 0.25 64 64 1.75M
R,B,M,F,C,T

Model	AKA	Year	Frequency [Mhz]	Process [ÃÂÃÂµm]	Transistors [millions]	Die size [mmÃÂÃÂ²]	Pins	Power [W]	Voltage	Mem [MB/s]	Dcache [k]	Icache [k]	Scache	Bcache	ISA
EV4	21064		100-200	0.75						80	8	8

EV45	21064A									80	16	16

EV5	21164	1995	366-500	0.5	9.7	49?	296	56	3.3/2.5	150	8	8	96k	1	R
EV56	21164A	1996	400-767	0.35				54		300	8	8	96k	1-2M	R,B
PCA56	21164PC	1997	400-533	0.35	3.5	141	264	32	3.3/2.5		8	16
1M	R,B,M
PCA57			600-666	0.28	5.7	101	283	20	2.5/2.0		16	16
1M	R,B,M
EV6	21264	1998	450-600	0.35	15.9	314		73		1600	64	64
2-8M	R,B,M,F
EV67	21264A	1999	667-750	0.25	15.9	210					64	64
2-8M	R,B,M,F,C
EV68AL	21264B	2001	800-833	0.18	15.9	125					64	64
2-8M	R,B,M,F,C,T
EV68CB	21264C										64	64
2-8M	R,B,M,F,C,T
EV68CX	21264D										64	64
2-8M	R,B,M,F,C,T
EV7	21364	2003	800-	0.25							64	64	1.75M
R,B,M,F,C,T