eFUSEFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaIn computing, eFUSE is a technology invented by IBM which allows for the dynamic real-time reprogramming of computer chips. Speaking abstractly, computer logic is generally 'etched' or 'hard-coded' onto a chip and cannot be changed after the chip has finished being manufactured. By utilizing an eFUSE (or more realistically, a number of individual eFUSEs), a chip manufacturer can allow for the circuits on a chip to change while it is in operation. The primary application of this technology is to provide in-chip performance tuning. If certain sub-systems fail, or are taking too long to respond, or are consuming too much power, the chip can instantly change its behavior by 'blowing' an eFUSE. [edit]Implementations POWER5 and POWER6 high end RISC processors IBM System z9 and System z10 mainframe processors. Cell microprocessor used in PlayStation 3 Xenon CPU in the Xbox 360 game console. Texas Instruments OMAP3 based cellphones and other devices [1] [edit]See also Programmable logic device FPGA Antifuse [edit]References ^ http://focus.ti.com/general/docs/wtbu/wtbugencontent.tsp?templateId=6123&navigationId=12316&contentId=4629&DCMP=WTBU&HQS=Other+EM+m-shield "IBM introduces chip morphing technology". IBM. 2004-07-30. Retrieved 2009-09-17. "IBM delivers Power-based chip for Microsoft Xbox 360 worldwide launch". IBM. 2005-10-25. Retrieved 2007-02-28. Rizzolo, R. F.; Foote, T. G., et al. (2007-02-13). "IBM System z9 eFUSE applications and methodology". doi:10.1147/rd.511.0065. Retrieved 2007-02-28. Speedy22 (2006-03-07). "XBOX 360 CPU Datasheet. Version 1.5." (PDF). Retrieved 2007-02-28. Port, Otis (2005-06-06). "Mighty Morphing Power Processors". BusinessWeek. Categories: Power Architecture |