Toshiba CELL

[version]

Toshiba, Cell development reference set 2006 April sale

September 20th announcement

CorporationToshiba sells the development reference kit which loads Cell from 2006 April.

As for Cell, the next generation CPU whom Toshiba, SONY and IBM developed jointly. Attention is attracted even by the fact that it is loaded onto PLAYSTATION 3 of SCEI. With those for developer such as the digital media equipment which loads Cell, Cell, audio/picture interface tip/chip "Super Companion Chip" and graphic function etc. load the reference kit which this time is announced, on the motherboard.

As for Super Companion Chip, video/audio input/output, digital AV interface, IEEE 1394, digital tuner interface, network interface and storage device interface etc. are integrated.

OS with Linux and TRON, the framework and the like of simultaneous reception of plural digital/analog broadcasts/video recording/playback is offered as a Eclipse based integrated enviroment for software development and an application model.

In addition, HDD and DVD drive etc. are installed.

The same reference kit from October 4th the exhibition/demonstration is done with the same company booth of CEATEC JAPAN 2005 which is held.

 

[one]

Here's the English PR
http://www.toshiba.co.jp/about/press/2005_09/pr2001.htm

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Does the Super Companion Chip feature in PS3?

The SCC is essentially a versatile, high-speed input-output port, according to Takayuki Mihara, an engineer with Toshiba. It receives regular and high-definition TV signals, audio and other data from set-top boxes, hard drives and similar items, and then forwards it to the processor.

Is that one of the components hung off the FlexIO?

 

[Gholbine]

Is it me or does that board have 10 SPEs.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

It's you. The SPE's are all on the one chip, the Yellow 'Cell Broadband Engine'.

Looking at that photo I also see the SCC isn't at all small. I wonder what's in it?

 

[Gholbine]

It's you. The SPE's are all on the one chip, the Yellow 'Cell Broadband Engine'.

Looking at that photo I also see the SCC isn't at all small. I wonder what's in it?

The PPE and 8 SPEs are all inside that tiny yellow core?

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Yes. SPE's are pretty tiny you know

 

[SubD]

The PPE and 8 SPEs are all inside that tiny yellow core?

I think it would be better stated that the PPE and SPE cores are in that tiny yellow chip.

 

[Gholbine]

I think it would be better stated that the PPE and SPE cores are in that tiny yellow chip.

Well I only called it a "core" because that's what it looks like to me. I mistook it as the PPE, and the 10 smaller chips next to it as the SPEs. Gotta admit, that whole setup looks like the conceptual diagrams they've been showing us, it's easy to be mistaken

 

[Powderkeg]

Does the Super Companion Chip feature in PS3?

No, this is television tuner technology, and is in no way related to game consoles.

Which leaves me wondering why it's here. I guess the word "Cell" automatically makes people think it's console related.

 

[one]

No, this is television tuner technology, and is in no way related to game consoles.

Which leaves me wondering why it's here. I guess the word "Cell" automatically makes people think it's console related.

Because its launch date (April 2006) reminds people of something...?

 

[Powderkeg]

Because its launch date (April 2006) reminds people of something...?

Yeah, it reminds me that April is when Toshiba starts selling Cell based consumer products, none of which are game consoles.

This particular item is for Tivo/DVR units.

 

[Guden Oden]

Well I only called it a "core" because that's what it looks like to me. I mistook it as the PPE, and the 10 smaller chips next to it as the SPEs.

The SPEs are all on-chip of course. The smaller chips you see are rambus XDR memory modules, possibly 8 main memory chips and another two for ECC/parity information.

And BTW... The super companion chip likely only looks large because like most I/O chips, it has a lot of interface pins on it. There's PCI slots on that board, and the text mentions firewire, IDE etc.

 

[Carl B]

Well I only called it a "core" because that's what it looks like to me. I mistook it as the PPE, and the 10 smaller chips next to it as the SPEs. Gotta admit, that whole setup looks like the conceptual diagrams they've been showing us, it's easy to be mistaken

Gholbine I think I know where your confusion is stemming from. Just keep in mind that what you're looking at isn't actually the 'Cell chip' as indicated by the thread, but an entire motherboard reference layout. The Cell itself is simply that yellow square on the board.

 

[a688]

The SPEs are all on-chip of course. The smaller chips you see are rambus XDR memory modules, possibly 8 main memory chips and another two for ECC/parity information.

And BTW... The super companion chip likely only looks large because like most I/O chips, it has a lot of interface pins on it. There's PCI slots on that board, and the text mentions firewire, IDE etc.

Those arn't PCI slots, the connectors are physically backwards to PCI. They look more like PCI-E. http://www.gamepc.com/images/labs/rev-nctd-expansionLG.jpg

 

[one]

This article has the block diagram. Interestingly it lacks GPU though it runs Linux/Eclipse and ITRON on the Cell hypervisor.

http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20050922/108829/?ST=english