IBM finds a new customer for Cell

[Titanio]

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=businessNews&storyID=8909419&pageNumber=0

IBM has agreed to license the Cell processor -- set to drive Sony PlayStations and Toshiba TVs -- to medical and military equipment maker Mercury Computer Systems Inc., in the first deal for the chip beyond consumer electronics.

Mercury, said the company plans to use Cell as the core technology to power a range of "embedded" computers it designs for magnetic resonance image scanners in medicine to missile radar and sonar systems for military uses.

PlayStation 3 is expected to be a huge hit for Sony -- selling 80 million to 100 million new consoles by 2010, according to industry analyst Richard Doherty of Envisioneering Group in Seaford, New York.

Cell is expected to offer breakthrough graphics processing improvements across the growing array of electronics that require heavy image processing, and while some analysts have questioned whether Cell will find much use beyond games, Doherty said IBM could be on to a huge winner.

Mercury is looking for Cell chips to accelerate the graphics-handling and image-rendering powers of its devices designed for use by doctors, pilots and others who require picture-perfect electronic displays to do their jobs.

"It's a choice of either using advanced technology like Cell or wait until the generally available technology catches up," Mercury Chief Technology Officer Craig Lund said.

Mercury, a $250 million-a-year maker of embedded computer systems, believes Cell will deliver three- to four-times faster performance than rival chips set to be on the market in the next few years, Lund said.

Interesting that they picked it up for its graphics/image handling..

Wasn't sure if this fitted under Sony PR or what, but if it's not suitable here feel free to lock!

 

[Shifty Geezer]

This is old news, though the customer for Medical and Military users wasn't identified in the original announcement (from IBM I think)

 

[Carl B]

You beat me to it!

A lot of actually fairly interesting things in those articles - and there's even more of them out there than that. I think this is going to get a good deal of press.

Here's some things that stood out for me:

Doherty said IBM's Cell chip might be used in an innovative automotive suspension system from high-end audio maker Bose, which could use Cell's heavy digital signal processing capacity to help smooth automobile rides.

These performance achievements mean much more advanced algorithms -- requiring serious number crunching -- can be put to use. For instance, in radar, one of the problems is that a military aircraft gives away its position when it turns on its radar. Using Cell processing power and advanced algorithms, Lund says, it's possible that a jet with Cell on board might be able to use radar from other aircraft and land installations to "see" without exposing itself.

and this was the weirdest...

IBM and Sony haven't revealed pricing, but analysts believe Cell will cost about $30 in game consoles. The average PC processor today costs about $150 to $200, so with Cell, consumers get much more bang for the buck.

They must mean $30 after the move to 65nm, am I right? That just seems to cheap otherwise for a chip of that die area at 90nm.

 

[BlueTsunami]

Seems suitable since it seems to be focused on IBM instead of Sony....but of course the fact that its all based on the CELL processor itself it may be moved over to the Sony PR thread....

About the news itself....it IS interesting that it was picked up for imaging. This also seems like a big break for CELL...simply because a company is putting this much trust into the processor, it may show other companies that someones taking a chance on the CELL and it may pay off...who knows..

EDIT: After seeing the above post, i'm coming to the realization that CELL is probably going to be the chip thats going to start being put into EVERYTHING. The snippet about the CELL being put into cars so it can work with the suspension to smooth out your ride (Even though this has been implemented already in some newer cars). I can't wait to see the CELL being used in different things...especially TVs...

 

[Carl B]

PS - If Cell does get used in any equipment that ends up purchased by the Pentagon, Cell's credibility is going to get a huge huge boost.

 

[mckmas8808]

Man Sony will make a killing with this CELL processor. As long as IBM stays aboard the CELL could be in everything from toasters to F17 fighter jets. And to think it's going to be in my videogame console. WOW!!

 

[Guden Oden]

Cell probably won't be REALLY interesting to non-consumer apps until there is a version of the chip that crunches double-precision math as fast as the current chip does single precision.

 

[3dilettante]

That back-scatter radar system sounds nifty, though it sounds a few generations removed from the current Cell.

At the very least, those embedded and military applications are usually at much larger transistor geometries with much lower clock potential. Any military Cell would be quite a bit less impressive than a civilian one.

It would take some serious circuit redesign and cutbacks to keep things reasonable.

 

[mckmas8808]

Cell probably won't be REALLY interesting to non-consumer apps until there is a version of the chip that crunches double-precision math as fast as the current chip does single precision.

I thought it already could. I thought the CELL could do like 40 Gflops per sec in DP. And does the SP chips on today only offer like 9 Gflops per sec?

 

[Carl B]

Cell probably won't be REALLY interesting to non-consumer apps until there is a version of the chip that crunches double-precision math as fast as the current chip does single precision.

I thought it already could. I thought the CELL could do like 40 Gflops per sec in DP. And does the SP chips on today only offer like 9 Gflops per sec?

No no, he's saying until there's a Cell geared towards DP, not just one that can do it. Though I would dispute that and say there's plenty of potential for Cell to be 'interesting' even as is. 8)

 

[DudeMiester]

Well AMD and Intel both plan on using CELL-like architectures in the not so distant future. CELL will certainly accelerate those plans, so I don't think it'll be an issue. Give it 3 years or so, and CELL-like processors WILL be everywhere.

 

[BlueTsunami]

Well AMD and Intel both plan on using CELL-like architectures in the not so distant future. CELL will certainly accelerate those plans, so I don't think it'll be an issue. Give it 3 years or so, and CELL-like processors WILL be everywhere.

I wonder how that will work out for AMD and Intel? hmmmm...CELL currently has a jump in implimentation but IBM, Sony and Toshiba need to get a (If this is their intention) CELL processor out that would work well in regular everyday Desktops before AMD and Intel start ramping up their efforts with CELL'esque processors....so basically the whole issue is just non existent DP CELLS and the rewriting of Software to work with CELL?

 

[PC-Engine]

Man Sony will make a killing with this CELL processor. As long as IBM stays aboard the CELL could be in everything from toasters to F17 fighter jets. And to think it's going to be in my videogame console. WOW!!

You mean like how everything right now has IBM processors in it?

 

[c0_re]

Cool I can't wait to see the Cell in more consumer items(TV's camcorders ect, Hi def DVD players, cars(that sounds really cool) but anyone that thinks they'll ever see sony\IBM cell in a workstation or normal server is dreamin.

By this time next year AMD and Intel will both have quad CPU's(4 cores 1 die) and a cheap server where you can have 4 physical processors thats gonna be pretty tough to beat 16 Pentium4's(32 hyperthreaded) for a few thouand bucks.

They need to make a cell that can be more general prupose and also have out of order instructions before it'll see the inside of even .001% of data centers.

I really wish Sony\IBM would start making more computer components, like system boards and what not with all this new technology they have.

 

[mckmas8808]

You mean like how everything right now has IBM processors in it?

The point is Sony helped with the project and it is coming out first in the PS3.

 

[PC-Engine]

You mean like how everything right now has IBM processors in it?

The point is Sony helped with the project and it is coming out first in the PS3.

Uh EE isn't used in everyday appliances so how is CELL and IBM going to change this? Sure it'll be used in BR recorders and Toshiba tvs but that's hardly everything from toasters to dishwashers to microwaves to fighter jets to NASA space shuttles.

 

[c0_re]

hey if IBM is smart they will pump the crap out of Cell and continue to invest and improve it, this is there shot back into people's homes(outside of game consoles)

 

[PC-Engine]

hey if IBM is smart they will pump the crap out of Cell and continue to invest and improve it, this is there shot back into people's homes(outside of game consoles)

Shot back into peoples homes? You mean before they sold their computer division, HDD division and before Apple dumped them?

How would STI and CELL changes this?

 

[Sonic]

PC-Engine, stop.

This thread does not belong on this forum. Locked.