Comment Re:32 GB of RAM? (Score 1) 235
I really don't think the M1 design is all that impressive.
Apple has integrated GPU and an ML processor. We've had integrated GPUs in APU style processors for a long time, typically in laptops. And we've had package integration going back to IBM System 360 with flip chips in the 1960s. Or PDP-11 and VAX-11 ALU/MMU chips integrated on a single mount package in the 70s. More recently, AMD with their Ryzen and Threadripper package mount and on chip 'infinity fabric' bus.
Integrating the RAM on the chip mount is both the reason for its performance and the reason why its limited expansion make it unsuitable for production work. Going in the package means Apple cuts the clock divisor. That's where all the performance comes from! Come on guys, ya'll a bunch of IT nerds. You get why cutting the divisor to system RAM increases performance, right? Also means less CPU logic allocated to branch prediction hardware. More transistor room for system cores, the GPU, whatever. But there's only so much space in a package mount. And only so much heat dissipation you can do.
Apple had a nifty idea. But we're closing in on 2nm traces and an atom is typically
JMO...