This looks pretty interesting: ParallelFX for .NET.

I'm too busy at the moment to try and play with it. (That, and there's a part of me that just LOVES asynchronous programming.)

But it's no secret that apps/solutions are going to have to take advantage of multi-core machines in order to see noticeable perf boosts in the future.

Frankly, one of the things that I _love_ about SQL Server is that it has been SMP capable for YEARS. Better yet, that capability is largely hidden from developers. Ideally this ParallelFX CTP is a step in making the same type of SMP benefits available (almost transparently) to .NET developers.