Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
VIA Technologies refers to its hardware-assisted virtualization support as VIA VT. It is present in all
Nano-family processors as well as QuadCore and Eden X2 processor families.
Enabling Hardware-Assisted Virtualization Support
To enable hardware-assisted virtualization support on a computer, the following must occur:
• The installed process must support hardware-assisted virtualization
• The BIOS must support hardware-assisted virtualization
• The BIOS settings for hardware-assisted virtualization must be enabled
• A VMM that supports hardware-assisted virtualization must be installed
Note
To determine if a system includes a processor that supports hardware-assisted virtualization,
use CPU-Z, and check BIOS settings.
The following sections discuss the major features of these processors and the different approaches
Intel and AMD take to bring 64-bit multicore computing to the PC.
Processor Manufacturing
Processors are manufactured primarily from silicon, the second most common element on the planet.
(Only the element oxygen is more common.) Silicon is the primary ingredient in beach sand; however,
in that form it isn't pure enough to be used in chips.
The process by which silicon is formed into chips is a lengthy one that starts by growing pure silicon
crystals via what is called the
Czochralski method
(named after the inventor of the process). In this
method, electric arc furnaces transform the raw materials (primarily quartz rock that is mined) into
metallurgical-grade silicon. Then to further weed out impurities, the silicon is converted to a liquid,
distilled, and then redeposited in the form of semiconductor-grade rods, which are 99.999999% pure.
These rods are then mechanically broken into chunks and packed into quartz crucibles, which are
loaded into electric crystal pulling ovens. There the silicon chunks are melted at more than 2,500°
Fahrenheit. To prevent impurities, the ovens usually are mounted on thick concrete cubes—often on a
suspension to prevent vibration, which would damage the crystal as it forms.
After the silicon is melted, a small seed crystal is inserted into the molten silicon and slowly rotated
(see
Figure 3.6
). As the seed is pulled out of the molten silicon, some of the silicon sticks to the seed
and hardens in the same crystal structure as the seed. The pulling speed (10-40 millimeters per hour)
and temperature (approximately 2,500°F) are carefully controlled, which causes the crystal to grow
with a narrow neck that then widens into the full desired diameter. Depending on the chips being
made, each ingot is 200mm (approximately 8 inches) or 300mm (12 inches) in diameter and more
than 5 feet long, weighing hundreds of pounds.
