Toshiba President: CELL development nearly complete

[Leto]

http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/09/14/news_6107377.html

Following reports from last month, Tadashi Okamura confirms that the CELL chip is nearing completion.
TOKYO - Following reports from last month that the CELL chip's designs have almost been completed, the Nikkei Journal is now reporting that Toshiba president Tadashi Okamura has confirmed that the chip's development is nearing completion.

In development by Sony, IBM, and Toshiba since the spring of 2001, the CELL is a next-generation multimedia processor with the ability to handle intensive graphics and high-bandwidth communications. The CELL is expected to be used in Sony's next-generation video game console, which is unofficially referred to as the PlayStation 3.

"[The CELL] will be used in IBM's computer, Sony's game machine, and Toshiba's digital consumer electronics, among other things," Okamura said. "It will change the world."

While specific details on the CELL remain elusive, the chip's commercial production is scheduled to begin next year, which is coincidently when Toshiba will be celebrating its 130th anniversary. However, as part of its presentation at E3 2004, Sony said graphics workstations using the CELL could be available as soon as this winter.

So will this change the world like they say?

 

[Diplo]

I, for one, welcome our new microprocessor overlords...

 

[Sonic]

There does seem to be a very high level of confidence from that statement. I don't know about CELL itself changing the world but if it does prove to be successful, efficient (both in performance and cost wise; not to mention power requirements), and easy to get performance out of then I guess it will have Intel and AMD looking at things a little differently.

IBM appears to be all over the place in regards to CPU technology. It has its hand in so many different things that it doesn't hurt them to try and bring CELL to a success. I know IBM wants it to succeed badly for the obvious reasons and I do believe the architecture has what it takes. But really, it is up to other hardware manufacturers, not just Sony, to embrace it.

It might prove to be powerful and good enough for the PS3, but that is a very specialized machine that is only meant to play games and a few other multimedia tasks such as making your bed, cooking toast, and acting as a home alarm system. If other companies look at it as something useful in their everyday electronics then it will be a nice addition. But I am sure Toshiba an dsony both have the rights for appliances in regards to CELL.

I guess it just all boils down to the accessibility of CELL and what it can be used for that can't be done better elsewhere. I for one do think it will be very powerful and be able to handle many takss a standard CPU wouldn't. But that all goes back to what CELL is all about, paralell computing?

 

[Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.]

I guess it just all boils down to the accessibility of CELL and what it can be used for that can't be done better elsewhere. I for one do think it will be very powerful and be able to handle many takss a standard CPU wouldn't. But that all goes back to what CELL is all about, paralell computing?

It's a step in a new direction. Despite efforts in RISC and multi-core/processor, we still overwhelming have a monolithic approach to CPUs that rely on process shrinks, deeper pipelines and bigger caches. We're fast running into physical limits on the single big chip approach. AMD is already doing 90nm process, and there probably arn't many more steps in that direction they can take, with 30nm looking to be the real limit for process shrinks.

CPU manufacturers have to go in a new direction in the next 5-10 years, and this is one option.

 

[_xxx_]

Besides being able to make processor arrays as big as you need them, you might have a platform which can be used everywhere - PDA's, cellphones, TV, consoles, set-top boxes, computers, industrial apps, car ECU's etc., with everything fully compatimble to each other... I like the idea very much. 8)