The word, of course, means divination by numbers. The Wikipedia, the fount of all wisdom, tells us that divination is more formal or ritual in character, as opposed to fortune-telling. I guess the unwashed masses resorted to fortune-telling, while royalty deigned to consult bird entrails or numbers, as the case may be. It is also spelt (and presumably pronounced) Arithmomancy. Perhaps numerology prompted the alternative spelling.

What has this got to do with processors? The IBM Benchmarking and Systems Performance blog makes the shocking assertion that 4.7 > 1.4, in a reference to the clock speeds of the POWER6 and UltraSPARC T1 respectively. The post is a response to BM Seer blogging about how the single socket System p 570 SPECjbb2005 result has been beaten by Dell PowerEdge 860 and Sun Blade T6300 single socket results.

Choosing to focus on the word faster, and interpreting it literally, is a touch disingenuous, I think : we are all in agreement that the POWER6 designers did a fantastic job in achieving a speed of 4.7GHz. However, like John Meyer explains so lucidly, the achievement is like winning a race declared pointless half-way through. If 4.7GHz is to signify anything vis a vis 1.4GHz, the frequency difference should translate into compelling system price/performance metrics. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to be the case. The SPECjbb2005 results^[1] show that a socket-full of 1.4GHz UltraSPARC T1 beats, well, a socket-full of 4.7GHz POWER6. SPECjbb2005 results do not include price disclosures.

I don't know how Arithmancy deals with real numbers - pesky things like 4.7 and 1.4 that have decimal places. However, I came across this Arithmancy Calculator at The Sorcerer's Companion, and having nothing more productive to do at 4:30AM, plugged in the words POWER6 and Niagara. Here is what came up, for those of you wanting to save a mouse click and some typing :

POWER6
Character Number : 5
Five is the number of instability and imbalance, indicating change and uncertainty. Fives are drawn to many things at once but commit to none. They are adventurous, energetic and willing to take risks. They enjoy travel and meeting new people but may not stay in one place very long. Fives can be conceited, irresponsible, quick-tempered and impatient.

Niagara
Character Number : 6
Six represents harmony, friendship, and family life. Sixes are loyal, reliable, and loving. They adapt easily. They do well in teaching and the arts, but are often unsuccessful in business. They are sometimes prone to gossip and complacency.

Hmm. I can understand the proclivity to gossip : who wouldn't when there is so much to boast about? I don't know about the lack of business success and complacency though : UltraSPARC T1 based systems went past the half billion dollar revenue mark in news (slide 6) from the latest quarterly results, and Niagara 2 based systems will be shipping later this year. Design objectives of the Niagara 2 are to double throughput in the same power and thermal envelope. 64 threads, 8 FPUs, on-chip networking, enhanced encryption/decryption capabilities ... if Julius Caesar occupied a socket, he would have said "yond Niagara 2 has a lean and hungry look; it throughputs too much: such chips are dangerous".

[1] SPECjbb2005 Disclosure Statement :
Sun Fire T6300 (1 chip, 8 cores) - 96523 SPECjbb2005 bops, 24131 SPECjbb2005 bops/JVM
IBM System p 570 (1 chip, 2 cores) - 88089 SPECjbb2005 bops, 88089 SPECjbb2005 bops/JVM

Tags : ibm power6 niagara