IBM/Sony/Toshiba Cell Processor...

[Keith75]

What do you guys think about this bad boy? Sounds like AMD and Intel are in trouble. Running at 4 GHz with 8 cores and even 64-bit! They are going to use it in the Playstation 3 :roll: I guess I will have to buy one just to try and run DC projects on it.

Keith

[NeoGen]

It looks powerful by what they say...
The downside is that it isn't compatible with anything nowadays... If PS3 will allow outside software to be ran on it (without a mod chip hopefully), which I doubt, then maybe someone will compile a linux version for it or something... and then the DC projects would also have to be recompiled to that processor...
And by the time all that happens (2006 or later), Intel and AMD will already be in advantage again.

[andrewdodd13]

i actually read on the register:
"Sony and IBM dispelled any doubt that in addition to being suitable for technical and commercial IT, the processor is aimed at the heart of the home: with digital TVs and home servers cited as likely vehicles for the processor."
which basically means they are going to use it to make cheap server computers....

"IBM said the processor is "OS neutral", but it will able to run multiple operating systems concurrently."
now that sounds cool... but how about 2 or more DC projects :D

and,
"When the unit appears - in enterprise kit from IBM, and in Sony's PlayStation 3 console - it's likely to clock 4.6GHz and be built on a 65nm process."
4.6GHz is above what AMD and Intel will be able to reach, Intel's P4 is pretty much dead now as they have scrapped plans for 4GHz

[AMDave]

Here is the IBM Press release:
IBM Cell Press Release

IBM have been manufacturing multi-core CPUs for a long time, longer than both Intel and AMD.

If they chose to push a multi-core CPU into the desktop market at a comparative price, with more cores and faster clock rates than Intel and AMD, then the only thing they would have to overcome is consumer and market preference. The economics speak for themselves.

The IBM press release has been a long time coming...

Back in November 2004 they made the following press release:
http://www-03.ibm.com/chips/news/2004/1129_cell2.html

This clearly shows that the partnership has been working on their application of the prodcut to market long before they made the full announcement this week. This article contains the statement that they had been collaberating on a workstation platform...
I think the intention is quite clear at this point.
Later this year we should see some interesting things happening.
I wonder what is going on in the AMD and Intel conference rooms right now....

PS - For the DHEP Team...
I expect that when the DHEP circuits start flowing into the mainstraim manufacturing processes, IBM's "eFUSE" technology will be part of the total solution. It seems to lend itself directly to the concept:
http://www-03.ibm.com/chips/news/2004/0730_efuse.html
[EDIT]sorry about the number of edits...I was figuring out the PHP url tags[/EDIT]

[Empty_5oul]

that eFUSe stuff seems pretty gd, DHEP as a project is too changable though it has a lot of downtime and no reasoning on its site.

[ahab3333]

the cell will be multicore and have 4 ghz speed but it will be missing all the good stuff that make chips fast. it will probally not have mmx and integrated memory controller. it will behave like having multi 4ghz pentium 1 running. it will get high speed but no power.

[AMDave]

Possibly mmx instructions could be interceded at the kernel level. With 8 cores to process them in multi-threaded execution at greater than 4Ghz each, I would hope that it would be faster then anything that we have today.

It will be interesting to see how they get around component compatibility though; bus standards, graphics cards, etc. By the time they match up the clock speeds of all the interfaces will the traditional hardware "bottlenecks" still be there ?

This is all conjecture of course. It will be some time before any hard facts come out and then only if the "home server" comes to market.

Interesting fact - AMD and IBM collaborated on a technology project focussed on increasing CPU core speeds last year, which they announced was successful.

Interesting question - I wonder if AMD has something up it's sleeve in all this....?

[AMDave]

Interesting fact - AMD and IBM collaborated on a technology project focussed on increasing CPU core speeds last year, which they announced was successful.

Interesting question - I wonder if AMD has something up it's sleeve in all this....?

and "Hey Presto!" Here it is.
It took a lot longer than i'd anticipated but finally the tech research project has hit the ground:
(thank goodness - the 30 months of suspense has been killing me)

Friday March 7, 06:44 AM
AMD Unveils 45nm Chips

ComputerWire Staff
Advanced Micro Devices has unveiled its first 45-nanometer quad-core chips that use technology it co-developed with IBM.
AMD said the chips can run on multiple operating systems. It said the 45nm transistors enable greater performance-per-watt and were built using new processes and materials including immersion lithography and strained silicon. The chips were produced in Dresden, Germany at the company's Fab 36 300mm manufacturing facility.
AMD plans to launch two products using the chips: the Shanghai product for servers, and Deneb for desktop platforms.
AMD spokesperson Garry Silcott said: "It's one of the largest differentiators between us and our competitors. We are the first to move to immersion lithography, which will also carry us to 32nm. We'll have that extra experience when we go to 32nm."
The company's rival Intel has already launched a 45nm chip for the desktop as part of its Penryn family of processors.

(courtesy of au.news.yahoo.com)

[Nflight]

That is the AMD we all love talking, not the whimpering straggler we have become so used to in the latest trials with its bigger brother Intel! I say brother because they work together on many things. I say whimpering straggler because I want my quads working right before I purchase them.
I want my AMD dang gonnit!

[Danish Dynamite]

i found this article i found it an interesting read would have preferred to find something besides from DT

Edit i found another article has pretty pic of cpu