Funksta
14-Jan-03, 03:58pm
hey guys, just got this through work and thought alot of you might want to read it...
After reading this i am very interested to see what MS comes out with for the Xbox 2!
PlayStation 3: Supercomputer-On-A-Chip
Sony's next iteration of the venerable PlayStation may be "Cell-bound."
By Chuck Miller | Jan. 11, 2003
Having concluded a record-breaking sales season during November and December 2002 on its PlayStation 2 video game system (selling over four million PS2 hardware units and more than 400,000 PlayStation 2 Network Adaptors), Sony is in the news again with regard to the next iteration of its PlayStation console, the PlayStation 3.
Destined by all indicators for a 2005 release, stories surround the PS3 pointing toward the incorporation of a complex microprocessor, a supercomputer-on-a-chip bearing the moniker "Cell." Being championed by the hardware triumvirate of IBM, Sony, and Toshiba, these companies have pledged $400 million to the project.
Cell, scheduled to hit the market in late 2004 or early 2005, differs notably from current processors. This finely crafted chunk of silicon will contain multiple chips within a single unit, and will be able to perform in excess of one trillion mathematical calculations a second. Put into perspective, that makes it approximately 100 times more powerful than a 2.5 GHz Pentium 4 CPU!
At present, the processor's design is still being held tightly under wraps, but sources indicate that in addition to its ability to deliver one trillion calculations per second or more of floating-point calculations, Cell will likely employ somewhere between four and 16 processor cores, or cells, per chip (hence the technology's label). Accordingly, while a game console might utilize a chip with 16 cores (some cores performing computational functions, others controlling audio and graphics), a less complicated "appliance" like a set-top box would require fewer. At least, that's a précis offered by Peter Glaskowsky, editor in chief of the influential industry newsletter "Microprocessor Report."
Cell computing will also facilitate a distributed style of networking that performs computing tasks in much the same way a cell phone network routes calls. Thus, for example, the PlayStation 3 will be able to use its broadband Internet connection to draw additional computing power from idle processors across the Internet. If still more horsepower is required, the PlayStation 3 can even tap into a home network to enlist support from other available machines. Put simply, Cell allows pieces of a computing task to be distributed among all available processors to harness their combined power.
This all dovetails with comments made by Shin'ichi Okamoto, chief technical officer for Sony Computer Entertainment, during a speech made at the 2002 Game Developers Conference. He spoke then of a technology he referred to as parallel computing, where multiple processors dramatically increase performance by splitting tasks. Okamoto also showed a diagram of an early project referred to by Sony as "GScube" comprised on 16 PS2s paired with a video merger and integrated into a single box. And, he went on to hint at a project that Sony was working on with IBM and Toshiba regarding a "cell processor," a technology that Okamoto confirmed would be at the core of the third-generation PlayStation.
This supercomputer-on-a-chip, however, is in need of external technology that will enable the high-speed interfacing between chips that it requires to perform its magic. That's where Rambus comes in. Best known for the RDRAM employed in PCs and game consoles (Nintendo and Sony), Rambus specializes in chip interfaces, electronic ports that facilitate the communication between chips. This past year, it licensed its memory technology to Sony and Toshiba, companies which plan to use it in "unspecified" new products due to reach market in approximately three years. Understandably, shares of both companies jumped based on speculation that Rambus' technology will be employed in combination with Cell in Sony's PlayStation 3.
The communication technologies in question are known as "Yellowstone," a high-speed interface for connecting memory to microprocessors, and "Redwood," a chip-to-chip connection. Both are capable of readily enhancing the broadband capabilities of Cell, a necessity since processors moving data at the rate Cell is capable of need to be augmented by high-speed links and similarly rapid chips in order to function at full capacity. Yellowstone, for instance, can transfer data at speeds of up to 100 gigabits per second -- three times the speed of current high-speed memory. As part of the deal, Rambus will receive royalties estimated at $28 million over the next 18 months. Furthermore, the license is non-exclusive, meaning that Nintendo and Microsoft could both utilize the technology for their respective next-generation consoles should they choose to do so.
Additionally, due to Cell's architecture, it's likely that the chip will replace the dedicated graphic processors traditionally employed in consoles. The PS3, including other devices that will employ Cell, will benefit by the CPU's "self healing" capability, too. Its bus and processor areas will be automatically corrected using a new "meshed era redundancy technology" to keep the systems from going down. Further, Cell will incorporate advanced research technologies and chip-making techniques, including ultra-thin copper wires, silicon-on-insulator (SOI) transistors, and low-K dielectric insulation.
Industry analysts have confirmed that the timeline for Cell's arrival coincides with plans to release the PlayStation 3 in 2005. However, plans are also rumored to be in the works for Cell to appear in PCs, scheduled for initial release in Sony's Vaio line of personal computers. There's also a good likelihood that this über-processor will be coupled with the new format of media playback known as "Blu-Ray Disk." It employs a blue laser and is capable of realizing a capacity of 25 to 27 GB per recording layer on a DVD. That's up to 50 GB on a double-sided disk.
Of course, while Cell will be a boon for gaming, it offers benefits beyond this arena extending to all areas of entertainment -- downloading games from the Internet, tapping into vast networks of movies and music, recording TV shows, and engaging in e-commerce. With added power comes added flexibility. It also provides Sony, in particular, with some unique opportunities with its next generation PlayStation and their other entertainment products such as high-definition televisions and digital camcorders.
At this juncture, there's still much to do in prepping Cell for market, and specifically, for use in the PS3. While the chip's inner workings have all been designed, prototype chip testing is just getting underway. Software development has a long road ahead of itself, as well. For now, gamers will simply have to wait and look forward two to three years down the line to a new console that will be exponentially more powerful than their current PS2. •
Edit: cleaned it up a bit.
After reading this i am very interested to see what MS comes out with for the Xbox 2!
PlayStation 3: Supercomputer-On-A-Chip
Sony's next iteration of the venerable PlayStation may be "Cell-bound."
By Chuck Miller | Jan. 11, 2003
Having concluded a record-breaking sales season during November and December 2002 on its PlayStation 2 video game system (selling over four million PS2 hardware units and more than 400,000 PlayStation 2 Network Adaptors), Sony is in the news again with regard to the next iteration of its PlayStation console, the PlayStation 3.
Destined by all indicators for a 2005 release, stories surround the PS3 pointing toward the incorporation of a complex microprocessor, a supercomputer-on-a-chip bearing the moniker "Cell." Being championed by the hardware triumvirate of IBM, Sony, and Toshiba, these companies have pledged $400 million to the project.
Cell, scheduled to hit the market in late 2004 or early 2005, differs notably from current processors. This finely crafted chunk of silicon will contain multiple chips within a single unit, and will be able to perform in excess of one trillion mathematical calculations a second. Put into perspective, that makes it approximately 100 times more powerful than a 2.5 GHz Pentium 4 CPU!
At present, the processor's design is still being held tightly under wraps, but sources indicate that in addition to its ability to deliver one trillion calculations per second or more of floating-point calculations, Cell will likely employ somewhere between four and 16 processor cores, or cells, per chip (hence the technology's label). Accordingly, while a game console might utilize a chip with 16 cores (some cores performing computational functions, others controlling audio and graphics), a less complicated "appliance" like a set-top box would require fewer. At least, that's a précis offered by Peter Glaskowsky, editor in chief of the influential industry newsletter "Microprocessor Report."
Cell computing will also facilitate a distributed style of networking that performs computing tasks in much the same way a cell phone network routes calls. Thus, for example, the PlayStation 3 will be able to use its broadband Internet connection to draw additional computing power from idle processors across the Internet. If still more horsepower is required, the PlayStation 3 can even tap into a home network to enlist support from other available machines. Put simply, Cell allows pieces of a computing task to be distributed among all available processors to harness their combined power.
This all dovetails with comments made by Shin'ichi Okamoto, chief technical officer for Sony Computer Entertainment, during a speech made at the 2002 Game Developers Conference. He spoke then of a technology he referred to as parallel computing, where multiple processors dramatically increase performance by splitting tasks. Okamoto also showed a diagram of an early project referred to by Sony as "GScube" comprised on 16 PS2s paired with a video merger and integrated into a single box. And, he went on to hint at a project that Sony was working on with IBM and Toshiba regarding a "cell processor," a technology that Okamoto confirmed would be at the core of the third-generation PlayStation.
This supercomputer-on-a-chip, however, is in need of external technology that will enable the high-speed interfacing between chips that it requires to perform its magic. That's where Rambus comes in. Best known for the RDRAM employed in PCs and game consoles (Nintendo and Sony), Rambus specializes in chip interfaces, electronic ports that facilitate the communication between chips. This past year, it licensed its memory technology to Sony and Toshiba, companies which plan to use it in "unspecified" new products due to reach market in approximately three years. Understandably, shares of both companies jumped based on speculation that Rambus' technology will be employed in combination with Cell in Sony's PlayStation 3.
The communication technologies in question are known as "Yellowstone," a high-speed interface for connecting memory to microprocessors, and "Redwood," a chip-to-chip connection. Both are capable of readily enhancing the broadband capabilities of Cell, a necessity since processors moving data at the rate Cell is capable of need to be augmented by high-speed links and similarly rapid chips in order to function at full capacity. Yellowstone, for instance, can transfer data at speeds of up to 100 gigabits per second -- three times the speed of current high-speed memory. As part of the deal, Rambus will receive royalties estimated at $28 million over the next 18 months. Furthermore, the license is non-exclusive, meaning that Nintendo and Microsoft could both utilize the technology for their respective next-generation consoles should they choose to do so.
Additionally, due to Cell's architecture, it's likely that the chip will replace the dedicated graphic processors traditionally employed in consoles. The PS3, including other devices that will employ Cell, will benefit by the CPU's "self healing" capability, too. Its bus and processor areas will be automatically corrected using a new "meshed era redundancy technology" to keep the systems from going down. Further, Cell will incorporate advanced research technologies and chip-making techniques, including ultra-thin copper wires, silicon-on-insulator (SOI) transistors, and low-K dielectric insulation.
Industry analysts have confirmed that the timeline for Cell's arrival coincides with plans to release the PlayStation 3 in 2005. However, plans are also rumored to be in the works for Cell to appear in PCs, scheduled for initial release in Sony's Vaio line of personal computers. There's also a good likelihood that this über-processor will be coupled with the new format of media playback known as "Blu-Ray Disk." It employs a blue laser and is capable of realizing a capacity of 25 to 27 GB per recording layer on a DVD. That's up to 50 GB on a double-sided disk.
Of course, while Cell will be a boon for gaming, it offers benefits beyond this arena extending to all areas of entertainment -- downloading games from the Internet, tapping into vast networks of movies and music, recording TV shows, and engaging in e-commerce. With added power comes added flexibility. It also provides Sony, in particular, with some unique opportunities with its next generation PlayStation and their other entertainment products such as high-definition televisions and digital camcorders.
At this juncture, there's still much to do in prepping Cell for market, and specifically, for use in the PS3. While the chip's inner workings have all been designed, prototype chip testing is just getting underway. Software development has a long road ahead of itself, as well. For now, gamers will simply have to wait and look forward two to three years down the line to a new console that will be exponentially more powerful than their current PS2. •
Edit: cleaned it up a bit.