¿VMX+L2 Cache=APU?

[Urian]

Yesterday reading on the motorola website I saw that the Altivec unit was created before of the PowerPC G4 (that is a PowerPC G3+Altivec Unit).

This Coprocessor that makes the works of a complete SIMD unit (4 integer ops/4 fp ops) only has 4 milions of transistors and was designed for be in all multimedia devices as a coprocessor (it needs the registers of a main PPC CPU).

If I take Altivec and I add some L2 cache is when the name APU comes to my mind.

Ergo, is possible to make a PowerPC CPU with 8 attached and linked APU (Altivec with L2 cache) and the number of transistors will be less than take the VU0 from EE and make a version with a better Integer ALU (upgrading from 16 bits to 128 bits SIMD).

¿This idea of mine could be a realistic roadmap for PS3 CPU?

 

[DeadmeatGA]

..

No, APU is a standalone processor by itself. Beside, I am sure Sony is sick of paying loyalty to IBM and Toshiba as is now and does not wish to add Motorola to the licensor list...

 

[Urian]

I was talking about the idea not about the device.

¿IBM pays money to Motorola for the use of the VMX?

:?

 

[Panajev2001a]

I was talking about the idea not about the device.

¿IBM pays money to Motorola for the use of the VMX?

:?

No, that is why the PPC970 has an Altivec compatible Unit, but they did not call it Altivec ( else they would have to pay for the name Altivec which Motorola has registered ): Deadmeat is talking out of his ass.

 

[Urian]

No, that is why the PPC970 has an Altivec compatible Unit, but they did not call it Altivec ( else they would have to pay for the name Altivec which Motorola has registered ): Deadmeat is talking out of his ass.

Thanks my Italian friend.

Now I Know that any company can do a Altivec-like unit.

 

[Panajev2001a]

No, that is why the PPC970 has an Altivec compatible Unit, but they did not call it Altivec ( else they would have to pay for the name Altivec which Motorola has registered ): Deadmeat is talking out of his ass.

Thanks my Italian friend.

Now I Know that any company can do a Altivec-like unit.

Well, it depends what you mean... Altivec-like

EE's VUs are Altivec like in a sense

IBM has worked with Motorola before on the PowerPC alliance: I remember hearing from a PowerPC 970 Architect that they could have called it Altivec Unit, but licensing issues between IBM and Motorola over PowerPC technology did not allow them to do so.

The Altivec Unit was probably added also to make the single core powerPC 970 more appealing for use in Apple's system, the transition to PowerPC 970 is not being a hard one ( G5 ).

 

[gurgi]

I want to remember an announcement that IBM purchased Altivec sometime at the beginning of this gen. Have I lost my mind?

 

[Megadrive1988]

I recall discussions from other boards year ago about the possibility of Gekko (GameCube's CPU) having an AltiVec unit or two, so it might rival the EE.

 

[Urian]

PowerPC Gekko is more G4 than G3.

G4 and Gekko has got a new bus for connect the ALU and the rest of the system to its new unit.

In the case of the G4 is the SIMD Altivec Unit.

In the case of Gekko is the extra CPU.

But the advantage of taking an extra FPU on Gekko is for support Flipper local light transformation and this FPU is more limited than this brother.

 

[Urian]

PowerPC Gekko is more G4 than G3.

G4 and Gekko has got a new bus for connect the ALU and the rest of the system to its new unit.

In the case of the G4 is the SIMD Altivec Unit.

In the case of Gekko is the extra CPU.

But the advantage of taking an extra FPU on Gekko is for support Flipper local light transformation and this FPU is more limited than this brother.