Kutaragi Ken: "Cell Computing In RealTime Ops"

[ChryZ]

The next of PlayStation 3 is Cell computing.

- Cell computing which distributes a real-time operation

"Cell computing" which the Sony computer entertainment (SCEI) advocates. The purpose into which SCEI introduces Cell computing is not only giving 1,000 times as many performance as this to the next generation PlayStation (PS3?). A final target is changing the topology of a computer and changing the paradigm of the conventional computing which Intel's has led to Microsoft.

In the meaning, Cell computing can also be called challenge to the present computer architecture. Cell computing -- Wintel -- the mainstream computer architecture -- [untranslated phrase] -- it is said that that is right There is a big design called Cell computing and it is thought right to think that there is PS3 as the greatest application (tractor) rather than Cell computing occurs for PS3, when it thinks so. Cell computing is really what and, probably, SCEI tends to make it realize it how.

The concept of Cell computing itself is not so difficult a talk. Mr. Kutaragi Ken (the Sony vice president / the Sony Computer Entertainment president and CEO) explains as follows. "Although the old network was an informational network, it becomes the bus of peer to peer computing (a network) shortly. Although it is non real time in batch processing, concept [ of Cell ]" and "grid computing are interesting when it comes be made on real time. It is Cell computing."

That is, by Cell computing, Cell processors distribute processing by peer to peer one on a network. Although grid computing is resembled, real-time nature cannot apply the present grid to required application. However, it enables it to apply grid type computing even to a real-time operation like a game in Cell computing.

If this Cell computing design is realized, processing of software can be distributed via a network (LAN or Internet). Therefore, the computing power which a user can use is no longer bound by the machine which exists locally. For example, when processing is heavy, it comes to be able to perform simply making a part of processing share with other Cell loading machines beyond a network.

That is, if water service is twisted, required computing power can be pulled out from a network the same with the ability only of required water to be taken out from a faucet. If Cell computing is realized on the Internet, finally computing power of "10,000 times of an earth simulator (supercomputer which carries out the SHIMYU rate of the earth environment), or 100,000 times" (Mr. Kutaragi Ken) can also be realized. For example, it may also become possible to realize a simulator like the virtual world of a movie "a matrix" in the day of when.

- Uniform a resource and make decentralization easy.

There was the idea of such distributed computing itself from ancient times. However, it was inapplicable even to software like the game which needs a real-time operation until now. For Cell computing, SCEI is preparing CPU and OS which were designed on the assumption that distributed computing, and is going to realize this this time.

The patent about CPU for which SCEI has applied (Cell is seemed) is describing Java as an example of the conventional approach. In Java, the software written in Java byte code can be used on every computer which a Java virtual machine runs. Therefore, in Java, even if it distributes application in which machine on a network theoretically, it can process with a Java byte code.

However, in order to make it the same software run in the network where CPU using a different command set from the first is intermingled, the Java virtual machine had to be made from Java. Therefore, it is difficult for Java to pull out the power of original of CPU. The patent of SCEI describes this point and the Java model explains that it is difficult for the required application of real-time nature by it.

At the architecture which the patent of SCEI takes to it, solution of this problem is aimed at by adopting the same architecture as the processor on a network. That is, it is said that decentralization will be made easy by uniforming the computer which carries out distributed processing on a hardware level. Therefore, a Cell processor is CPU of MOJURA structure and it is supposed that it is become the structure where scalable composition can be taken by the same architecture.

that is, which Cell processor -- as a core based CPU -- "Processor Element (PE)" -- loading (singular number or plurality) -- carrying out -- every -- in PE, every one piece and two or more sub processors "Attached Processing Unit" (APU) have "Processing Unit (PU)" which controls, and "Direct Memory Access Controller" (DMAC) which takes charge of memory access The architecture itself becomes uniform although the number and composition of PE or APU may differ from each other by each Cell processor.

Therefore, if software is written by the command set of Cell, it is not necessary to change into the native code of CPU from a pseudo code like Java. Moreover, since the structure with every fundamental (although the number of units differs) Cell is the same, it is easy to grasp the computing power which can be used. It is the story that the processing to which the speed and the response like multimedia become important can also be distributed now.

- Make Cell computing permeate from a home first.

Although this design was wonderful, of course was also the question there. it -- (1) -- what are problems, such as a latency (delay) of (2) networks, carried out [ how this new paradigm is made to permeate all over a network, and ]? This time, Mr. Kutaragi Ken has replied to the question.

Development of Cell computing

* The PDF version Here

About introduction of Cell computing of (1), realizing via the Internet suddenly has an expensive hurdle. Although that was a big question, Mr. Kutaragi Ken has answered as follows. "It becomes still more interesting if two or more Cell(s) in a house are connected in peer to peer one". [ "I think first that Cell computing should just occur in a home", "the inside of a home being connected with a broadcloth band network, and Cell computing being realized", and ]

That is, it has the realistic proposal to realize on domestic [ LAN ] first and to realize via the Internet next. For example, digital one TV of the home server which the game machine (PlayStation 3) which carried the Cell processor in the home entered, and carried Cell similarly, and Cell loading etc. enters. When it does so, though small-scale at the three Cell processor, it is the scenario that Cell computing becomes possible.

The [untranslated phrase] right tree is the Sony group, and he is saying that he wants to carry Cell also in such apparatus. Since the Cell processor itself is MOJURA structure if it is as a patent, the flexible configuration according to each apparatus should become possible. By the reason a Cell loading machine will go into a home one after another over several years if it becomes so and will collect with the Sony product, if it thinks so, domestic Cell computing will become a quite realistic scenario.

If it is LAN, domestic is enough made by the network in an extensive zone, and there are few latencies compared with the Internet. Therefore, it is said that Cell computing from which a zone and a latency are likely to become a problem is also realizable.

With the design for SCEI, it becomes the following step to extend this Cell computing to the Internet. Though Internet Cell computing is a little overdue, practical use of Cell computing can be first proved by domestic for the time being. It is a realistic step.

But it does not know whether to be that SCEI was drawing such composition from the start. It is because not only SCEI but the whole Sony group needs to be agreed in order to realize this design. Unless Cell computing is promoted into the whole group, the scenario that many Cell(s) also go into a home cannot be drawn.

At present, it is imagined from Mr. Kutaragi Ken telling clearly that the scenario has solidified considerably. As a result of the sense of impending crisis inside the Sony group increasing through the Sony shock etc., possibly it became a flow called selection of Cell computing.

(September 9, 2003)

original japanese article / translation by excite.co.jp

 

[Grall]

Apparantly, by looking at that image you linked, if you hook up a PS3 and a PC everything is fine. Mankind is safe.

HOWEVER, if you hook up several devices with Cell processors in them, the internet along with the rest of the universe seems to explode instantly. Not good, Kutaragi! Back to the drawingboard for you!


*G*

 

[zurich]

Interesting that the PS3 and Home Server seem to be different entities.

 

[MfA]

Everything else in the house needs a magnitude less computing power than consoles and cannot afford to loose functionality on the fly anyway ... so yeah, the only things which could realistically share power were 2 consoles, you would need 10+ Gb/s ethernet though IMO. This makes the whole sharing in the house story hopelessly overstated, only interoperability between the devices as far as sharing movies&audio goes would be a realistic goal. That would depend on protocol though, not processors.

Personally I think that if they want to make use of scalability in the PS3 timeframe they will simply put an expansion slot in it ... that is the only way you are going to get true broadband in the same range as its internal bandwith, with a nice local parallel connection.

 

[Megadrive1988]

Personally I think that if they want to make use of scalability in the PS3 timeframe they will simply put an expansion slot in it ... that is the only way you are going to get true broadband in the same range as its internal bandwith, with a nice local parallel connection.

Agreed.


If you look at the Saturn/PS1 consoles, you could link 2 of them together. not to share processing power, but for two player games, where each player had their own screen. this was fairly impressive, since this sort of thing had previously been used only in arcades, for the most part.
(not counting PC flight sims like Falcon 3.0 linked via serial cable)

With PS3, if we could link several together, via highspeed/ high bandwidth
cable to share processing power, that would be awesome. its not really a miracle of technology, as its been done with workstations, industrial/military flight simulators, visualization super computers, arcade boards and even to some degree, PCs, for years. But If this could be brought to the console arena, it could open up more possibilities to developers, and prolong the life of PS3 into the next decade. starting around 2009-2010 the PS3 could be at $100, so that would make it feasable for us consumers to have 2-4 PS3s. it would allow games to have "more juice" to run on. more memory, more processing, etc.

Well, this may or may not happen. I say there's a 30-50% chance. a fair possibility. but perhaps this is just my own wishful thinking.