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Intel® Streaming SIMD Extensions 4 (SSE4) Instruction Set Innovation
Unlocking performance and energy efficiency with new instruction set innovations. Integrated into Intel® processors based on Intel® 45nm high-k metal gate silicon technology, Intel® Streaming SIMD Extensions 4 (Intel® SSE4) instructions are Intel's most significant media instruction set architecture (ISA) advancements since 2001.
These new instructions build upon the Intel® 64 architecture ISA and enable Intel® processors to deliver superior performance and energy efficiency to a broad range of 32- and 64-bit applications including:
- Graphics
- Video encoding and processing
- 3-D imaging
- Gaming
- High-performance applications
Intel® SSE4 is the result of continued work with the ISV community to deliver instruction set extensions that allow developers to easily enhance their products while maintaining the necessary application-level compatibility across processor generations.
New innovations that improve the performance and energy efficiency of Intel® architecture
- Download the white paper (PDF 93KB)
Enhancing video, graphics, and high performance applications
Intel SSE4 consists of 54 instructions divided into two major categories: Vectorizing Compiler and Media Accelerators, and Efficient Accelerated String and Text Processing.
- Vectorizing Compiler and Media Accelerators will benefit audio, video, and image editing applications, video encoders, 3-D applications, and games.
- Efficient Accelerated String and Text Processing will benefit database and data mining applications, and those that utilize parsing, search, and pattern matching algorithms like virus scanners and compilers.
45nm Intel® Core™ microarchitecture based processors support 47 of the Intel SSE4 instructions including the Vectorizing Compiler and Media Accelerator instructions. The remaining instructions will be available in next generation Intel® microarchitecture, codenamed Nehalem.
Be ready
Check out the Intel® Software Network to learn more about Intel SSE4 and how it will help you create applications with superior performance and energy efficiency.