Fermi's architecture is a clear move towards greater programmability and GPU based computing. There is a laundry list of new features, all of which will enable Fermi, when it is released to make greater inroads into the relatively high margin HPC space. Some of the more notable changes include updating the programming and memory model, embracing semi-coherent caches and improved double precision performance and better IEEE compliance. It's clear that Nvidia is making a multi-generation investment to push GPU computing in the high-end, although we will have to wait until products arrive to determine the reception.
Since there are no details on products, many key performance aspects are unknown. Frequency is likely in the same range (+/-30%) as GT200, and the GDDR5 will probably run between 3.6-4.0GT/s, but power and cooling are unknown and could be anywhere from 150-300W. The bandwidth and capacity for a DDR3 based solution is also unknown. So from a performance stand point, it's very hard to make any meaningful comparison to AMD's GPU, which is actually shipping. The shipping dates for graphics and compute products based on Fermi are also unclear, but late Q4 seems to be the earliest possible with low volumes, while actual volume won't occur till 2010 - so evaluating performance will have to wait till then.
Perhaps the most significant demonstration of Nvidia's commitment to compute is the fact that a great deal of the new features are not particularly beneficial for graphics. Double precision is not terribly important, and while cleaning up the programming model is attractive, it's hardly required. The real question is whether Nvidia has strayed too far from the path of graphics, which again depends on observing and benchmarking real products throughout AMD's, Nvidia's and Intel's line up; but it seems like the risk is there, particularly with AMD's graphics focus.
These are all important questions to ponder in the coming weeks, and really feed into the ultimate technical question - the fate of CPU and GPU convergence. Will the GPU be sidelined for just graphics, or will it be like the floating point coprocessor, an essential element of any system? Will it get integrated on-die, and to what extent will the discrete market remain? These are all hard to predict, but it's clear that Nvidia is doubling down on the GPU as an integral element of the PC ecosystem for graphics and compute and time will tell the rest.
