Superbrain Chip

[Shocker Milwaukee]

IBM, Sony, Toshiba to reveal ‘superbrain chip’

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/6b31ebfe-786b-11d9-9961-00000e2511c8.html

The consortium says this will improve the quality of video delivered over the broadband internet and increase the fidelity of computer games. The Cell developers have already produced a prototype of a computer workstation with supercomputer capabilities.

[BJ_M]

The cell chip is going to be used in the PS3, and its soon in production within 2 months ... It is also going t be in several consumer devices -- the production costs are no more than a P4 (about 30-40$ a chip) and an existing fab plant has been converted - so no new chips plants required .. recall of course - the mac G5 CPU is also made by IBM and IBM sold off its InTEL desktop business - maybe they know something ....

prototypes are already rolling off the line ..

prototypes are running at 4.6 gigahertz and operate at 1.3 volts.

production should be around 6.4 gigabits per second and ramp up from there ..

a rack of Cell chips could compute 16 teraflops, or trillions of precision math operations, a second. The world's fastest supercomputer currently deployed in the commercial market is NEC's Earth Simulator, which computes 36 teraflops.

[BJ_M]

memory has already been anounced,
It will use XDR memory.

"The new processor will include Rambus interfaces called FlexIO Processor Bus and XDR RAM for memory. Together these interfaces provide up to 100 gigabytes per second of aggregate CPU bandwidth, said Rich Warmke, director of marketing for the memory interface division at Rambus.

That’s significant at a time when so many industry observers agree that the biggest bottleneck in processor performance is the interfaces.

“This is an order of magnitude greater performance,” said Warmke, who added that the closest competitor to this can only provide 20 to 35 gigabytes of bandwidth per second."


a CROSS BUSS type system appears to be being used, like the famous sgi 320/ 540 systems that were about 5 years ahead of thier time ( i had several dual 320's and a 540 quad xeon).

This time of system is in use in CRAYs and other supercomputers from IBM and sgi .. and in playstation3's

[BJ_M]

The FlexIO processor buses, formerly codenamed Redwood, can run up to 6.4GHz data rates, providing more than four times faster than best-of-class processor buses available today.

Samsung, Toshiba, Elpida and Panasonic have licensed Rambus’s XDR technology, and Samsung recently announced that it had entered volume production on the technology. Toshiba has samples available and has said it will be in production with the technology this year.

The interfaces mark the culmination of three years of work for Rambus. Sony and Toshiba licensed the technology at the beginning of 2003. Sony, Toshiba, IBM and other heavy weight players are all behind this.

Such technologies will be critical to future system performance, Rambus executives believe, due to a number of converging factors.

First, applications that use 3D, video and intensive media will require fast interfaces with memory and coprocessors.

FEB. 7th , 2005
http://www.reed-electronics.com/electronicnews/article/CA501992.html

[BJ_M]

maybe Vegas 6 will use a Playstation3 for rendering ..

hmmm, might have something there! It has networking, HD Output, hardware HD decoding and gobs of proccessing power ..

and it IS a sony product...

hello Sony !

Playstation render farms ... nice ..

[BJ_M]

OFFICIAL NEWS RELEASE

and yes -- it DOES run windows, linux and even OSX ! and can run all of them at the same time -- in fact a home system rumoured about will have a linux server running for the home including media storage and playback and a windows xp interface for the single user ..

Key Details of New Cell Chip Disclose Delivers more than 10 times the performance of the latest PC processors (February 07,2005)

At the International Solid State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) today, IBM , Sony Corporation, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. ( Sony and Sony Computer Entertainment collectively referred to as Sony Group) and Toshiba Corporation (Toshiba) for the first time disclosed in detail the breakthrough multi-core architectural design - featuring supercomputer-like floating point performance with observed clock speeds greater than 4 GHz - of their jointly developed microprocessor code-named Cell.

A team of IBM , Sony Group and Toshiba engineers has collaborated on development of the Cell microprocessor at a joint design center established in Austin, Texas, since March 2001. The prototype chip is 221 mm(2), integrates 234 million transistors, and is fabricated with 90 nanometer SOI technology.

Cell's breakthrough multi-core architecture and ultra high-speed communications capabilities deliver vastly improved, real-time response for entertainment and rich media applications, in many cases 10 times the performance of the latest PC processors.

Effectively a "supercomputer on a chip" incorporating advanced multi-processing technologies used in IBM 's sophisticated servers, Sony Group's computer entertainment systems and Toshiba's advanced semiconductor technology, Cell will become the broadband processor used for industrial applications to the new digital home.

Another advantage of Cell is to support multiple operating systems, such as conventional operating systems (including Linux ), real-time operating systems for computer entertainment and consumer electronics applications as well as guest operating systems for specific applications, simultaneously.

Initial production of Cell microprocessors is expected to begin at IBM 's 300mm wafer fabrication facility in East Fishkill, N.Y., followed by Sony Group's Nagasaki Fab, this year. IBM , Sony Group and Toshiba expect to promote Cell-based products including a broad range of industry-wide applications, from digital televisions to home servers to supercomputers.


Among the highlights of Cell released today:
* Cell is a breakthrough architectural design -- featuring eight synergistic processors and top clock speeds of greater than 4 GHz (as measured during initial hardware testing)
* Cell is a multicore chip capable of massive floating point processing
* Cell is OS neutral and supports multiple operating systems simultaneously


"Today's disclosure of the Cell chip's breakthrough architectural design is a significant milestone in an ambitious project that began four years ago with the creation of the IBM , Sony and Toshiba design lab in Austin, Texas," said William Zeitler, senior vice president and group executive, IBM Systems and Technology Group. "Today we see the tangible results of our collaboration: an open, multi-core, microprocessor that portends a new era in graphics and multi-media performance."

"Today, we are very proud to share with you the first development of the Cell project, initiated with aspirations by the joint team of IBM , Sony Group and Toshiba in March 2001," said Ken Kutaragi, executive deputy president and COO, Sony Corporation, and president and Group CEO, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. "With Cell opening a doorway, a new chapter in computer science is about to begin."

"We are proud that Cell, a revolutionary microprocessor with a brand new architecture that leapfrogs the performance of existing processors, has been created through a perfect synergy of IBM , Sony Group and Toshiba's capabilities and talented resources, "said Masashi Muromachi, corporate vice president of Toshiba Corporation and president & CEO of Toshiba's Semiconductor Company. "We are confident that Cell will provide major momentum for the progress of digital convergence, as a core device sustaining a whole spectrum of advanced information-rich broadband applications, from consumer electronics, home entertainment through various industrial systems."


About IBM
IBM develops, manufactures and markets state-of-the-art semiconductor and interconnect technologies, products and services including industry-leading Power Architecture microprocessors. IBM semiconductors are a major contributor to the company's position as the world's largest information technology company. Its chip products and solutions power IBM eServer and TotalStorage systems as well as many of the world's best-known electronics brands.

IBM semiconductor innovations include dual-core microprocessors, copper wiring, silicon-on-insulator and silicon germanium transistors, strained silicon, and eFUSE, a technology that enables computer chips to automatically respond to changing conditions.

More information is available at: http://www.ibm.com/chips


About Sony Corporation
Sony Corporation is a leading manufacturer of audio, video, game, communications, key device and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. With its music, pictures, computer entertainment and on-line businesses, Sony is uniquely positioned to be the leading personal broadband entertainment company in the world. Sony recorded consolidated annual sales of approximately $72 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2004.

Sony Global Web Site: http://www.sony.net/


About Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
Recognized as the global leader and company responsible for the progression of consumer-based computer entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) manufacturers, distributes and markets the PlayStation(R) game console, the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system and the PSP(TM) (PlayStation(R)Portable) handheld entertainment system. PlayStation has revolutionized home entertainment by introducing advanced 3D graphic processing, and PlayStation 2 further enhances the PlayStation legacy as the core of home networked entertainment. PSP is a new portable entertainment system that allows users to enjoy 3D games, with high-quality full-motion video, and high-fidelity stereo audio. SCEI, along with its subsidiary divisions Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd., and Sony Computer Entertainment Korea Inc. develops, publishes, markets and distributes software, and manages the third party licensing programs for these platforms in the respective markets worldwide. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. is an independent business unit of the Sony Group.


About Toshiba
Toshiba Corporation is a leader in the development and manufacture of electronic devices and components, information and communication systems, digital consumer products and power systems. The company's ability to integrate wide-ranging capabilities, from hardware to software and services, assure its position as an innovator in diverse fields and many businesses. In semiconductors, Toshiba continues to promote its leadership in the fast growing system-on-chip market and to build on its world-class position in NAND flash memories, analog devices and discrete devices.

Visit Toshiba's website at www.toshiba.co.jp/index.htm

Sourceigital Media Online

[BJ_M]

more info - complete

http://arstechnica.com/articles/paedia/cpu/cell-1.ars

first pic

[BJ_M]

and here

http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fpc.watch.impress.co.jp%2Fdocs%2F2...language_tools

[gastorgrab]

So this Processing-Unit uses a paralell approach, each component specializing in it's own particular task?

Weren't Digital Signal Processors an offshoot of military RADAR technology? (late 1960's)

[lordsmurf]

memory has already been anounced,
It will use XDR memory.

"The new processor will include Rambus interfaces called FlexIO Processor Bus and XDR RAM for memory. Together these interfaces provide up to 100 gigabytes per second of aggregate CPU bandwidth, said Rich Warmke, director of marketing for the memory interface division at Rambus.

I have always liked RAMBUS products.
Will take my RDRAM any day over SDRAM or DDR-SDRAM

[BJ_M]

In the late 1940s the now legendary figures of Shannon and Bode discussed the feasibility of digital elements to construct a filter. Because of practical concerns of cost, size, and reliability, however, the nod went to the continued use of analog filtering and spectrum analysis techniques. In the 1950s, with the increasing access to mainframe computers, some digital signal processing applications began to appear. Most notably, seismic scientists began to apply a limited set of digital signal processing techniques to their problems.
In the mid-1960s, it was becoming apparent that the integrated circuit offered a pathway to complete digital signal processing systems. This drove the development of a more formal theory of digital signal processing. This era saw the significant contributions of Kaiser in the area of digital filter design and of Cooley and Tukey in the development of a fast method of computing the DFT (Discrete Fourier Transform). The many variations and extensions in this area are referred to as FFTs (Fast Fourier Transforms).

These seminal works in the time domain (digital filters) and the frequency domain (FFTs) showed that this fledgling technology could apply to the duality of time and frequency representations of signals. These early, significant successes clearly demonstrated that digital techniques could offer cost, size, and performance advantages that were not available just 20 years earlier. By the 1970s, the technology was becoming more widely disseminated. This is best exemplified by the release in 1975 of two important textbooks: Theory and Application of Digital Signal Processing2 by Rabiner and Gold targeted the practicing engineer and advanced course work; Digital Signal Processing3 by Oppenheim and Schafer targeted graduate students.

[gastorgrab]

Too bad they're so competitive, it would be nice for all the manufacturers to set some standards for future architecture.

PowerPC variant will be its own platform - The CELL

Intel's version will be its own - TBD

AMD will have yet another one, though similar to Intel's - TBD
.

[BJ_M]

all of them will run x86 32 and 64 bit code (standard linux, windows, etc ) and the THE CELL can also run OSX and specialized OS for encoding and ps3 for example

[gastorgrab]

I'm also confused by the wording - "Configurable CPU". (THE CELL)

Does this mean it's software configurable like the Transmeta, or hardware configurable? (Would the structure of Windows have to change or would it simply require a device driver?) At what level does this configuration occur?

I think this new class needs it's own catch-phrase also. Something like; "Diverse Multicore CPU", or "Multi-Architecture Multi-Core'. You know, something that sounds cool but doesn't give a clue as to what it actually is.
.

[BJ_M]

hardware configurable and to a degree - software .. as for windows , time will tell , they say it will run on it

[vitualis]

Time will tell how well it actually performs in the real for general computing...

Regards.

[glockjs]

i was reading up on this over at the forums at anandtech and everybody pretty much agrees that sony is nothing but hype until they show the goods. there hasnt been a single benchmark shown yet on what this chip can do. sony for the most part is full of bs

[vitualis]

The problem (partly) is that (from what I understand anyway) is that for the processor/platform to perform well, there needs to be good thread parallelism. This is difficult to program and not necessarily possible for many forms of general computing (which involve serial tasks or an serial algorithm).

I'm sure that on some PARTICULARLY tasks, the Cell processor will probably bomb your average P4 or Athlon out of the water, but how it performs to general computing is yet to be seen.

For example, the GPU on your video card absolutely crushes your CPU for computing 3D graphics. It would make a pretty crappy general CPU though.

Regards.

[BJ_M]

i was reading up on this over at the forums at anandtech and everybody pretty much agrees that sony is nothing but hype until they show the goods. there hasnt been a single benchmark shown yet on what this chip can do. sony for the most part is full of bs

sony ? It is mostly toshiba and IBM and just a bit of sony ...

anyway - that is a fairly naive remark by someone at anandtech, though i'm not surprised, as the POWER 3 and POWER 4 chips are working away as the heart of some of the most powerful supercomputers (including the new #1) -- in fact CAP 's company just bought one .. as the 'THE CELL' is just the next generation of the same processor, it is not a far stretch to interpolate some results ...

I think people are just worried about their beloved intels and amds.

A lot of people fail to realize that long before amd and intel even broke 1ghz, other cpus were running in 64bit (for many years in fact) and were a lot more powerful .. from IBM, HP, MIPS, ALPHA, NEC , TOSHIBA and a few others -- though these chips never sold in the huge quantities that the pc market brought to the table .. ...


And for dragging sony into this -- were does sony get a reputation for hype and all smoke ? someone should do a little research on history before saying such crap as that -- sure, its not a perfect company but
in terms of the broadcast research and engineering div. and the pro video market -- they are the standard. They havent done so bad with Playstations either -- or a 1000 other products....