I agree with Jed that parallel processing is the future of cpu architecture. Parallel processing is likely to become ubiquitous. However, I also think it will take extremely savvy geeks (those possessing a dash of aspergers, and no social skills: See "The Big Bang Theory" TV episodes) to figure out how to actually get their code take advantage of all those processing units.
It's my understanding that the advantages of parallel processing depends heavily on what types of problems one is trying to resolve. For example if one has a problem that involves lots of serial decision branching (i.e.: IF THIS ELSE THAT) then parallel computing may not shine as well as solving a problem that involves processing a huge table of static numbers. BTW, I just ordered a new custom built PC with an AMD Phenom 9750 quad core processor. I expect delivery sometime this Friday. I wonder if I'll be able to pick up girls with it. ;-) Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
