The Russian company Tramplin Electronics prepares the Irtysh processors
The Russian company Tramplin Electronics is advancing in the development of a new line of server processors under the Irtysh brand. These chips represent a significant effort to establish a technological alternative in a market dominated by other architectures. 🚀
Technical details of the Irtysh family
The Irtysh family is manufactured using a 12 nanometer process node. It includes three main models: the C616 with 16 cores, the C632 with 32 cores, and the C664 with 64 cores. All are based on the LAA64 instruction set, which is the 64-bit version of the LoongArch architecture. Tramplin Electronics licenses the latest-generation cores from the Chinese company Loongson, similar to those used in their 3C6000 series processors. However, the Russian company independently designs the chip topology and owns all the design documentation, which allows the Irtysh to be classified as a second-level domestic integrated circuit in Russia.
Key features of the chips:- Fabrication node: 12 nm to balance performance and efficiency.
- Core options: Three variants with 16, 32, and 64 cores.
- Base architecture: LAA64, implementation of LoongArch.
- Core origin: Licensed from Loongson, with proprietary topology design.
The name Irtysh, taken from a river that originates in China and flows into Russia, symbolizes the flow of technological collaboration between the two countries.
Boosting the LoongArch ecosystem in Russia
Although LoongArch already has support in fundamental projects like the Linux kernel and the GCC compiler, Tramplin Electronics seeks to accelerate its adoption in the Russian market. The central plan is to build and nurture a local community of developers around this technology. To achieve this, the company commits to providing comprehensive technical and methodological support in Russian.
Planned actions for the community:- Prepare a technical operating system adapted.
- Develop an SDK (Software Development Kit) and a complete environment for creating system software.
- Provide tools that enable compiling programs from other architectures to LoongArch.
- The ultimate goal is to eliminate barriers for Russian programmers and establish LoongArch as a viable and practical alternative. 💻
Strategic context and prospects
This move aligns with Loongson's strategy to position its architecture as the third most popular globally, behind x86 and Arm. By licensing its cores, the Chinese company expands its influence, while partners like Tramplin Electronics take on the task of adapting and promoting the technology in specific markets. For Russia, the Irtysh processors represent a step toward greater technological independence in the critical server segment, although dependence on externally designed cores persists. The project's success will largely depend on Tramplin Electronics' ability to generate a robust software ecosystem that is attractive to local developers. The flow of this collaboration, symbolized by the Irtysh River, seeks to establish itself firmly in Russian data centers.