Microsoft licensed microchip technology from IBM
- Thread starter Brimstone
- Start date
Intresting.
My guess still is that the CPU will based off of the Berkeley IRAM project.
http://www.coe.berkeley.edu/labnotes/0102iram.html
My guess still is that the CPU will based off of the Berkeley IRAM project.
http://www.coe.berkeley.edu/labnotes/0102iram.html
This is bad news for Intel.
1) The manufacturation process Roadmap killed Intel.
2) For now, PowerPC has a more advanced architecture than the actual Intel x86 architecture.
But the problem is that we aren´t going to be free of TCPA/Palladium.
Poor Apple.
Poor Linux community
Poor freedom on the computers
If that is true IBM is a traitor for me.
1) The manufacturation process Roadmap killed Intel.
2) For now, PowerPC has a more advanced architecture than the actual Intel x86 architecture.
But the problem is that we aren´t going to be free of TCPA/Palladium.
Poor Apple.
Poor Linux community
Poor freedom on the computers
If that is true IBM is a traitor for me.
DeadmeatGA
Banned
...
This agreement probably covers the XGPU2 fabrication only.
There has been a mass exodus of OEMs from TSMC because of TSMC's inability to fabricate high-clockspeed parts. The CPU itself will stay with X86.
This agreement probably covers the XGPU2 fabrication only.
There has been a mass exodus of OEMs from TSMC because of TSMC's inability to fabricate high-clockspeed parts. The CPU itself will stay with X86.
Does anyone here remember a rumor Teamxbox.com posted a few months ago about IBM making the Xbox2 cpu? Well, now they're boasting about how right they were:
http://www.teamxbox.com/news.php?id=5075
http://www.teamxbox.com/news.php?id=5075
I so doubt this will have much related to a G5. Maybe a relationship to the PPC on a instruction level. Why would Microsoft go to the hassle of switching from x86 to PPC unless there was some signifigant advantage in either cost or performance? IBM isn't going to be much cheaper than Intel or AMD. IBM isn't going to have a strong performance lead at the low price point for a console based PPC CPU.
For a console to have a CPU with a big leap in cost/performance ratio a radical new architecture is needed. Also don't forget about thermal problems with current CPU designs.
IBM already started to fab a revolutionary beast with the Berkeley IRAM design. With a Vector IRAM design, Microsoft would get a very high performance part, without serious thermal issues, and at a reasonable cost.
According to this page, IBM sent Berkeley completed wafers in June 2003.
http://iram.cs.berkeley.edu/chip.html
An article on the IRAM concept.
http://iram.cs.berkeley.edu/papers/IRAM.computer.pdf
For a console to have a CPU with a big leap in cost/performance ratio a radical new architecture is needed. Also don't forget about thermal problems with current CPU designs.
IBM already started to fab a revolutionary beast with the Berkeley IRAM design. With a Vector IRAM design, Microsoft would get a very high performance part, without serious thermal issues, and at a reasonable cost.
According to this page, IBM sent Berkeley completed wafers in June 2003.
http://iram.cs.berkeley.edu/chip.html
An article on the IRAM concept.
http://iram.cs.berkeley.edu/papers/IRAM.computer.pdf
Game on! Technology Group wins Xbox chip
November 3, 2003
Microsoft has selected IBM over Intel for the microprocessor technology that will power the next generation of the Xbox game console.
IBM earned this business because of its advanced chip technologies and deep development capabilities — required to create the chips that will provide the performance the future Xbox will need — which no one else in the industry can provide. The new Xbox systems will use chips based on IBM's family of state-of-the art processors.
"Competitive gamers are looking for gamemakers to provide greater functionality in game systems — higher resolution and more realistic graphics, better sound quality, faster system response, wireless features, enhanced online gaming capabilities, even two-way audio," said John E. Kelly, III, senior vice president and group executive. "And the gamemakers are looking to us for technology that can deliver that kind of gaming experience."
IBM also is working with Sony Computer Entertainment to develop the processor for the next version of its Playstation game system, Playstation3. With involvement in both Xbox and Playstation3, IBM is the future of gaming when it comes to chips.
Intel: Denied!
Winning this deal unseats Intel, which provides the processors for the current Xbox systems. This is the second time in recent months that IBM has handed Intel such a setback. Earlier this year, IBM won the business to provide the processors for Apple's new G5 personal computer over Intel.
"We kept Intel out of the Apple G5 and now we've kicked them out of Xbox," said Jeff VerHeul, vice president, Engineering and Technology Services, who leads the team that won the Xbox business. "Not bad, considering one Intel executive recently called us 'trivial.' I wonder how trivial he thinks we are now."
VerHeul said time-to-market, flexibility, and price also were critical factors in Microsoft's decision to choose IBM, because the gaming industry moves so quickly and is so competitive. IBM's ability to do everything from design through manufacturing makes it especially attractive to Microsoft.
The deal establishes IBM as the leading supplier of advanced chip technology to the gaming industry. IBM currently makes the processors for Nintendo's GameCube systems and recently began shipping in volume the GeForce FX advanced graphics processor for NVIDIA, the premier supplier of graphics chips for the gaming industry.
Two years ago, IBM began working with Sony to develop the processor for the next generation of its game system, PlayStation3. And now IBM has won the next-generation Xbox.
Growing market, growing opportunity
Game systems and games are among of the fastest growing segments of the consumer electronics market. Analysts estimate that the worldwide market for games and systems was roughly $20.7 billion last year and is expected to grow to as much as $30 billion by 2007.
This deal takes advantage of IBM's full scope of chip capabilities, with many of TG's major worldwide operations involved — design in Rochester, development in Austin and RTP, manufacturing and packaging in East Fishkill, and mask and test work in Burlington.
"That exemplifies the type of deals we want to sign — ones that use our full expertise and capabilities, and allow us to capture a substantial portion of growing gaming market revenue," said Dr. Kelly.
November 3, 2003
Microsoft has selected IBM over Intel for the microprocessor technology that will power the next generation of the Xbox game console.
IBM earned this business because of its advanced chip technologies and deep development capabilities — required to create the chips that will provide the performance the future Xbox will need — which no one else in the industry can provide. The new Xbox systems will use chips based on IBM's family of state-of-the art processors.
"Competitive gamers are looking for gamemakers to provide greater functionality in game systems — higher resolution and more realistic graphics, better sound quality, faster system response, wireless features, enhanced online gaming capabilities, even two-way audio," said John E. Kelly, III, senior vice president and group executive. "And the gamemakers are looking to us for technology that can deliver that kind of gaming experience."
IBM also is working with Sony Computer Entertainment to develop the processor for the next version of its Playstation game system, Playstation3. With involvement in both Xbox and Playstation3, IBM is the future of gaming when it comes to chips.
Intel: Denied!
Winning this deal unseats Intel, which provides the processors for the current Xbox systems. This is the second time in recent months that IBM has handed Intel such a setback. Earlier this year, IBM won the business to provide the processors for Apple's new G5 personal computer over Intel.
"We kept Intel out of the Apple G5 and now we've kicked them out of Xbox," said Jeff VerHeul, vice president, Engineering and Technology Services, who leads the team that won the Xbox business. "Not bad, considering one Intel executive recently called us 'trivial.' I wonder how trivial he thinks we are now."
VerHeul said time-to-market, flexibility, and price also were critical factors in Microsoft's decision to choose IBM, because the gaming industry moves so quickly and is so competitive. IBM's ability to do everything from design through manufacturing makes it especially attractive to Microsoft.
The deal establishes IBM as the leading supplier of advanced chip technology to the gaming industry. IBM currently makes the processors for Nintendo's GameCube systems and recently began shipping in volume the GeForce FX advanced graphics processor for NVIDIA, the premier supplier of graphics chips for the gaming industry.
Two years ago, IBM began working with Sony to develop the processor for the next generation of its game system, PlayStation3. And now IBM has won the next-generation Xbox.
Growing market, growing opportunity
Game systems and games are among of the fastest growing segments of the consumer electronics market. Analysts estimate that the worldwide market for games and systems was roughly $20.7 billion last year and is expected to grow to as much as $30 billion by 2007.
This deal takes advantage of IBM's full scope of chip capabilities, with many of TG's major worldwide operations involved — design in Rochester, development in Austin and RTP, manufacturing and packaging in East Fishkill, and mask and test work in Burlington.
"That exemplifies the type of deals we want to sign — ones that use our full expertise and capabilities, and allow us to capture a substantial portion of growing gaming market revenue," said Dr. Kelly.
Makes it doubly curious that they would decide to go with ATI. If it was just out of spite I dont know if they got all that good a deal, it's a sweet low risk deal for ATI (no huge profits either of course, but I doubt either ATI or NVIDIA would want to bet their profits on the success of XBox-2 ... Im sure ATI has already spend some time thinking about how to wash it's hands of it if worst came to worst). You would think it would have been cheaper for NVIDIA to develop for this process than it is for ATI.
IBM has got a lot of expertise in binary translation, maybe they will simply put in the necessary hooks to efficiently simulate x86.
IBM has got a lot of expertise in binary translation, maybe they will simply put in the necessary hooks to efficiently simulate x86.
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