Sony 'Cell' processor - 4Ghz
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There have been some news stories based on the announcement by IBM and Sony of the plans for the Cell processor. It was suggested that this thing would run at 4ghz and be the sort of processor that is included in TVs and other systems that need to deal with streams of video data / and games consoles. (hey why else do average homes need such power? - hence its aimed at the mass market)
There have been some suggestions that it would do serious damage to the intel / microsoft monopoly, but I guess I'd ignore such foolish talk.
I was just wondering though.. 4ghz sounds really incredibly quick. I wonder whether IBM are overhyping their product, as 0.6nm doesn't really exist yet as a fabrication process.. and the schedule for release is probably going to slip..
So:
1. Will the first cell processors released (ie; IBM workstation for sub $1000 / or sony ps3 ) really run at over 2.5ghz?
2. Will this happen before the release of windows 'longhorn'
3. Will it happen before 2006?
4. As ms are good at producing editions for 'other' processors eg; itanium, alpha, powerpc (under virtual pc for mac), will MS produce a WINdows Cell Edition? (WINCE)
Anyone got any thoughts?
- Seems the manufacturers are pretty confident of 4ghz and upward speeds.. Sounds alot like a powerpc (g3 ish) with 8 slightly more independant floaty point units (similar to a very efficient DSP), so you could set 4 processors doing RGB transparency mixing on multiple streams of signal and then use another 4 processors for surround sound FX processing and then the main processor to wait for remote control interrupts.
2 comments:
if ibm sell their PC business to lenovo (if it goes through) then why would IBM put the chip in an IBM pc? rover can't make 4x4's because ford now own 'land rover / range rover etc' so why would IBM be allowed to make IBM pcs when lenovo own it?
"Following the deal, the two companies will enter an alliance under which IBM becomes the preferred services and customer financing provider to Lenovo and Lenovo becomes the preferred supplier of PCs to IBM, they say."
"IBM to take 18.9 percent equity stake in Lenovo; transaction expected to be completed in second quarter 2005"
'The PC manufacturing portion of the International Information Products Company in Shenzhen, China, which is co-owned by IBM and Great Wall, is included in the transaction; IIPC's IBM eServer xSeries manufacturing there is excluded.'
so.. when an IBM computer wants a cheap box, IBM will sell them a lenovo. When IBM want someone to construct them an eServer, it will be an eServer. When IBM want to do something that will not be a PC, they'll just get on and do it. I don't think IBM will ever stop being processor design people, who also sell
servers etc. see: http://www.ibm.com/products/us/ - you'll see a small column marked 'personal computers'
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