“Within a decade, IBM Corp. expects to make microchips that will be able to change their own physical configuration, adding memory or removing unneeded bits of circuitry on the fly to optimize performance,” AP reports. “The morphing chips were disclosed Wednesday as IBM revealed wide-ranging plans for the company’s current generation of processors, the Power5.”
“Big Blue hopes to work with outside technology developers to make Power chips a flexible, widely used driver of several kinds of computing systems, from high-end corporate servers to video game consoles and handheld devices. Microprocessors have gotten ever faster by cramming more and more transistors onboard, but physical limitations of chip materials are making it harder to shrink the dimensions much further. So instead of continually relying on improvements in chip speed, next-generation chips will have to cleverly combine more computing functions, said Bernard Meyerson, IBM’s chief technologist,” AP reports.
“The self-altering chip is one way of achieving that. Here’s how it would work: Continually running electrical current through a tiny circuit can cause its materials to erode, as individual atoms get stripped and dragged away by the electricity. Eventually the metal breaks,” AP reports. “Chip designers got around the problem by carefully choosing a blend of metals. Now, Meyerson said, IBM has developed a way to make the metal erosion happen at will _ when software running the chip determines that part of the circuitry needs cutting or tuning. ‘It’s a bit frightening to the typical designer,’ Meyerson said.”
The basis for the G5 in Apple’s Power Mac line is IBM’s Power4. No mention was made of Apple during the Power5 presentation.
Full article here.
Now it gets interesting. I am totally bored with those iPod/iTunes news with whining Real/Napster CEO.
IBM/Skynet/Apple/World domination anyone?
The self-altering chip is one way of achieving that.
Here’s how it would work: Continually running electrical current through a tiny circuit can cause its materials to erode, as individual atoms get stripped and dragged away by the electricity. Eventually the metal breaks.
Chip designers got around the problem by carefully choosing a blend of metals. Now, Meyerson said, IBM has developed a way to make the metal erosion happen at will _ when software running the chip determines that part of the circuitry needs cutting or tuning.
Intel x86 is so toy compared to POWER…
Motorola? Where are you?
So this could be the G6,7,8?
Now there is a dilemma. Should I attend WWDC this year? Or should I save as much �uros as possible to the nextTerafast G6 Mac?
Then again there is San Francisco Pride at the same time.
http://www.sfpride.org/
Choices so many choices ;(
“For example, a Chinese company, CultureCom Holdings Ltd., has modified Power chips to get them to understand Chinese characters, removing the need for translation software. “
how many more April 1 stories must we deal with?
Going to WWDC gives you a few days of amazing experience. Buying G6 gives you a couple years of a powerful computer. I’d vote for buying a G6.
Apple logo found on Mars
http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/main_news.cfm?NewsID=8325
Stevenote+ WWDC+SF Pride vs. Terafast G6
0-1
Nobody.
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I would also say: AmaZinG experience for one week
I really don’t know…
Flights 3000� + (HEL-LHR-SFO-LHR-HEL)
Hotel 1000- � (***)
Eat&Shop; 1500� (or more?)
Misc 500�
Total 6000�
(WWDC ticket that I already have $1595 from ADC)
That nearly makes one G6 with some memory?
A decade from now? zzzzzzzzzz……
Morphing chips… riiiiiight.
April 1.
Just out of curiousity, how long before a windows machine using IBM chips comes out? Is is even a question if the power keeps rising?
to moto: What power? So far all the new rumors of faster IBM chips (faster g5, g6) are vaporware.
Forget windows,When�s apple going to bring out a faster computer????
I, too, am unbelievably bored with Ipod/Itunes stuff.
I need powerful computers, don’t care about Ipods at all except as a profit center for Apple so they can keep making the computers I need.
hey guy from finland if yer spendin that kinda cash wanna sure lay?
hey i love turning these threads into more off topic conversation.
email me!!
Hey “one guy from finland”! Is this place about computers or promoting gay parties? Please stay focused!
Well Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference 2004 (WWDC) is all about computers. I am sure that there is new things from Apple that uses these new chips from IBM.
The question is should I go to WWDC or save the money and buy G6.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” /> so there comes the connection to SF Pride that is in the San Francisco at the same time as WWDC.
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In swedish G6 is pronounced very closely like “gay sex”
http://developer.apple.com/wwdc/
So as you see I am staying focused and it is not off the topic