Featuring single- and multithreaded execution, the POWER5 provides higher performance in the single-threaded mode at equivalent frequencies. Enhancements include dynamic resource balancing to efficiently allocate system resources to each thread, software-controlled thread prioritization, and dynamic power management to reduce power consumption without affecting performance.The POWER5 processor supports the 64-bit PowerPC architecture. A single die contains two identical processor cores, each supporting two logical threads. This architecture makes the chip appear as a four-way symmetric multiprocessor to the operating system.SMPLink is a very low latency switchless interconnect technology that allows nodes to be interconnected as flat SMPs. The actual SMPLink ports come directly off of the POWER5 chip. When connected, the SMPLinks provide a direct path between each POWER5 chip.With the introduction of SMT, more instructions execute per cycle per processor core, thus increasing the core's and the chip's total switching power.POWER5 was design to maintain both binary and structural compatibility to ensure that binaries continue executing properly and all application optimizations carry forward to newer systems.