Cell mass production plan for 2nd half of 2005

[V3]

http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=conews&tkr=SNE:US

I think they're on schedule.

 

[V3]

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=3574747

YOKOHAMA, Japan, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Sony Corp's 6758.T game division said on Wednesday it plans to start mass production of a new chip to power the PlayStation 2 (PS2) game console this month, using cutting-edge 90-nanometre processing technology, in a move that will lower manufacturing costs. Monthly production of the chip, which combines the game console's microprocessor and graphics chip, will start at "several" hundred thousand units before growing to more than a million units by next year, Sony Computer Entertainment's Chief Technology Officer Kenshi Manabe said at an industry event.

"The development costs to shrink down the chip can become quite high, but if you consider that we sell 20 million PS2s a year, then in the end it's cheaper," Manabe said at a forum sponsored by the Semiconductor Association of Japan.

Sony has invested more than 300 billion yen ($2.73 billion) since 1999 to develop and shrink the PS2 chips by almost 80 percent. By creating a smaller chip, Sony can produce more per 200 millimetre (eight inch) wafer and reduce costs.

Initially, Sony used 180 nanometre processing technology to manufacture the PS2 chips, but it has gradually moved to narrower circuitry in recent years. A nanometre is one-billionth of a metre.

The mass production of the PS2 chips using 90-nanometre technology comes one day after Sony said it planned to begin sales of PSX, an all-in-one game and entertainment system, in Japan this year at a minimum price of 79,800 yen ($719).

A Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) official said later that the chips using 90-nanometre technology might be used in other Sony products, not just the PS2. Sony Computer Entertainment is a game unit of Sony.

Even as development work continues on the current generation of cutting-edge semiconductor chips, Sony's Manabe said the company plans to start installing equipment at a new plant that is creating a next-generation microprocessor code-named "cell".

"We expect to start mass production of 'cell' in the second-half of 2005," Manabe said. "For the time being, we plan on setting up a pilot line."

Sony plans to invest 500 billion yen over the next three years in semiconductors, including 200 billion yen for "cell", which will initially use 300 millimetre wafers and 65-nanometre circuitry.

Analysts expect the chip to power Sony's next-generation game console, but the company aims to make "cell" the global standard for consumer electronics in the high-speed Internet era.

The next-generation microprocessor is being developed with Toshiba Corp 6502.T and IBM IBM.N .

By midday, shares in Sony were down 2.51 percent at 3,890 yen, versus a 1.07 percent decline in the Nikkei 225 average.

PS3 worldwide by 2006 it seems.

 

[PC-Engine]

So what happened to those lawnchair experts in this forum that said CELL manufacturing would start 2004 for PS3 launch in 2005??? Seems like CELL and the rush to the holy grail of 65nm got pushed back after all.

Pushed back to try to reach that infamous 1 TFLOPS or all of the above???

I wonder what Panajev and Paul has to say...

BTW who was that guy at SONY that recently resigned?

 

[chaphack]

Back to topic, hey! Who knows, my industeeeee insider be right?

 

[Phil]

So what happened to those lawnchair experts in this forum that said CELL manufacturing would start 2004 for PS3 launch in 2005??? Seems like CELL and the rush to the holy grail of 65nm got pushed back after all.

To my knowledge, no one ever said Sony would be mass producing CELL chips by then. The 2004 derrived by news articles that Toshiba would start mass producing 65nm chips at the end of 2004 and therefore argue that 65nm would be very possible. To me, this comes to no suprise. I wasn't expecting PS3 before 2006 anyway...

 

[marconelly!]

Well, I still hope for a late 2005 PS3 release. 2006 just seems sooooo far away, and I'd love to see new hardware sooner than that.

Was EE being 'mass produced' before the PS2 started selling, or was it being produced in a more moderate amounts at first, just to meet the smaller launch shipments?

 

[chaphack]

Still on CEll, has Sony ever talked about the amazing gaming audio/visual it could produce...???? So far it has always been connected homes this, connected servers that...matrixXxed natrixxxed...P.C-ell-Replacexor!....

I hope PS3 will be very much a capable gaming console, first and foremost.

 

[V3]

Was EE being 'mass produced' before the PS2 started selling, or was it being produced in a more moderate amounts at first, just to meet the smaller launch shipments?

No, it was mass produced from the beginning. If it is not mass produced you will only get a handful of chips

So what happened to those lawnchair experts in this forum that said CELL manufacturing would start 2004 for PS3 launch in 2005??? Seems like CELL and the rush to the holy grail of 65nm got pushed back after all.

Don't know, Toshiba, may start at 3Q-4Q of 2004, if they have spare capacity. Sony will be busy with PSP in 2004 (worldwide release too). But AFAIK Toshiba isn't big enough to provide supply for worldwide shipment. So 2006 is likely for worldwide released, ie America and Europe. Unless they're going to PS2 shortage again

 

[PC-Engine]

So what happened to those lawnchair experts in this forum that said CELL manufacturing would start 2004 for PS3 launch in 2005??? Seems like CELL and the rush to the holy grail of 65nm got pushed back after all.

To my knowledge, no one ever said Sony would be mass producing CELL chips by then. The 2004 derrived by news articles that Toshiba would start mass producing 65nm chips at the end of 2004 and therefore argue that 65nm would be very possible. To me, this comes to no suprise. I wasn't expecting PS3 before 2006 anyway...

Yep thanks for clearing that up. There were a couple of people here, I won't mention any names but they know who they are, who kept INSISTING that 65nm chip manufacturing would commence 1H 2004 and how SONY/Toshiba were ahead of everyone with regards to lithography. So now that it has been confirmed that mass production of 65nm chips won't start until 2H of 2005, can those unamed individuals please tell me what 65nm chips will be manufactured 1H 2004 and mass produced 2H 2004??? Was it the EE3 and GS3???

 

[overclocked]

"We expect to start mass production of 'cell' in the second-half of 2005,"

If this is accurate he means full scale production and that is very impressive. The amount of cash $ony has put in this is crazy soo i atleast expect PS3 too be amazing.

 

[marconelly!]

No, it was mass produced from the beginning. If it is not mass produced you will only get a handful of chips

Another question, I guess, would be how long it takes from the beggining of the chip mass production to the time the console can be introduced on the market (in the Japan, I assume)?

Actually, I think Sony might even launch PS3 simultaneously in Japan and US, now that a company from US is one of their competitors.

 

[V3]

Another question, I guess, would be how long it takes from the beggining of the chip mass production to the time the console can be introduced on the market (in the Japan, I assume)?

From 3 months to 1 year. Depend on how many chips they can put out in a month. Also the demand you expect at launch. Worldwide released probably required 2 million units shipped.

 

[jvd]

well hopefully they will have good yields. Although this now gives ms a longer time frame to develop thier xbox 2. I wonder if we will see gamecube 2 x mass 2005 and xbox 2 vs ps3 x mass 2006. That would be very good news for nintendo.

 

[overclocked]

Maybe $ony will ship as few unit´s as they did with PS2 (atleast here in sweden), we got ~3000 PS2 and the next shipment was a quarter later.
If they do that we maybe can see a Japan realese Q1 and US/Europe launch Q2/at earliest, just speculation of course.

 

[marconelly!]

Well, if they launch it in 2006, I hope that will at least be very early 2006

 

[chaphack]

Heya people, you can always play with you PSP!

 

[cybamerc]

This means Japanese launch will happen in the fall at the very earliest. US launch possibly in time for the holidays but could very well slip into 2006. Euro launch in 2006. Seems like Nintendo had them figured out

Oh well, devs need as much time as they can get to prepare for next gen launches anyway.

 

[marconelly!]

Heya people, you can always play with you PSP!

Ahhhh, true! How could have I forget about that!!

 

[PiNkY]

Btw, during the numerous process technology discussions on this forum, it was more then once stated (if i remember correctly) that the unified 90nm EE+GS chip was already utilized in japanense PS2s. Now, it seems that Sony's move to 90nm production is yet to come (as of the 8th of octobre), quite in line with the rest of the industry.

 

[marconelly!]

AFAIK, they have built their 90nm fabs some time ago. Now what was being produced in them, I have no idea. They are starting on the unified PS2 chip this month, it says so in the article.

Btw, wasn't IBM already using their 90nm fabs approx 5-6 months ago?