“Setting up a battle for the future of computing, engineers from IBM, Sony and Toshiba unveiled details Monday of a microprocessor they claim has the muscle of a supercomputer and can power everything from video game consoles to business computers,” Matthew Fordahl reports for The Associated Press. “Devices built with the processor, code-named Cell, will compete directly with the PC chips that have powered most of the world’s personal computers for a quarter century.”
“Cell’s designers say their chip, built from the start with the burgeoning world of rich media and broadband networks in mind, can deliver 10 times the performance of today’s PC processors. It also will not carry the same technical baggage that has made most of today’s computers compatible with older PCs. That architectural divergence will challenge the current dominant paradigm of computing that Microsoft Corp. and Intel Corp. have fostered,” Fordahl reports. “The new chip is expected to be used in Sony Corp.’s next-generation PlayStation game console in 2006. Toshiba Corp. plans to incorporate it into high-end televisions that year as well. And IBM Corp. has said it will sell a workstation with the chip starting later this year.”
“Beyond that, companies are remaining coy about where it might be used and whether it will be compatible with older technology,’ Fordahl reports. “Cell is comprised of several computing engines, or cores. A core based on IBM’s Power architecture controls eight ‘synergistic’ processing centers. In all, they can simultaneously carry out 10 instruction sequences, compared with two for today’s Intel chips. The new microprocessor also is expected to be able to run multiple operating systems and programs at the same time while ensuring each has enough resources. In the home, that could allow for a device that’s capable of handling a video game, television and general-purpose computer at once.”
“‘It’s very flexible,’ said Jim Kahle, an IBM fellow. ‘We support many operating systems with our virtualization technology so we can run multiple operating systems at the same time, doing different jobs on the system.’ Cell is said to run at clock speeds greater than 4 gigahertz, which would top the 3.8 GHz of Intel’s current top-speed chip,” Fordahl reports. “Cell’s designers said they are running a variety of operating systems on the processor at their lab in Austin, Texas. But they would not say whether Microsoft’s Windows is one of them. In fact, they only confirmed running Linux, the open source environment.”
Fordahl reports, “The PC industry has seen a long line of chips attempt to usurp the x86 architecture pioneered by Intel that dominates today’s computers. But all have failed, and Intel remains the world’s largest chip maker. In the 1990s, IBM, Motorola Inc. and Apple Computer Inc. pushed the PowerPC architecture. Though it’s still used by the Apple Macintosh as well as IBM workstations and servers, it failed to dethrone Intel.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: It would be more accurate to describe the PowerPC as having “thus far” failed to dethrone Intel. Until the PowerPC is discontinued, it cannot be accurately described as having “failed,” unless you assign some artificial time limit. Who’s to say where the finish line lies? Or as Yogi said, “It ain’t over, till it’s over.”
People today talk shortsightedly about Microsoft and Intel having “won” and Apple having “lost.” That also depends heavily upon your definition of the word “won.” After all, Windows users are all using the basic Mac user interface concepts that Apple introduced to the world with the Mac. Remember, too, that in 1929, Ford held just over 61% of the U.S. market for automobiles. General Motors’ market share stood at just 12%. Ford was thought to be invincible, with GM regarded as a niche auto maker. But, in 1936, just seven years later, Ford held 22% of the market for new automobiles while General Motors held a 43% share. No company is invincible. Not even Intel or Microsoft.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Apple Mac mini, iMac G5 models hold 5 of top 6 spots in Amazon’s Desktop Computer Top Sellers list – February 08, 2005
Georgia school district to propose 63,000 Macs for students and teachers – February 07, 2005
Will Apple take advantage of powerful new ‘Cell’ microprocessors? – February 07, 2005
Anecdotal evidence points to Apple Mac popularity gains – February 07, 2005
We’re all using Macintosh computers right now – February 06, 2005
Why does Windows still suck and why isn’t everyone on a Mac? – February 04, 2005
I sure hope Apple would consider this chip. Maybe they are already studying/testing it to see if they could use it.
” Cell is said to run at clock speeds greater than 4 gigahertz, “. If this is true and Apple is able to use this cpu, then this opens the gates of an almost unlimited potential that Apple needs for marketing and performance reasons. Even more power applications, and computers.
Imagine what Apple could do with all that power!
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Yeah, but the Wintel zombie-nerds would still try to rig the benchmarks to show that Xenons and AMD whatevers are faster.
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I think it is pretty safe to say that the PowerPC architecture has failed to dethrone the x86 architecture… To use the car analogy, Ford has never enjoyed the kind of market share that Intel does.
Now in the embedded market, it’s a different story. The PowerPC has far more penetration.
The Cell does present an interesting alternative. If it runs multiple OSes, it provides Apple an easier way to transition folks off Windows without new hardware. But then it also exposes Apple to potentially supporting third party cheap hardware. Is the mini an experment to test the waters of inexpensive hardware?
Apple has far better long-term strategies now. I’m sure almost every effert has multiple goals in mind.
MDN: “No company is invincible. Not even Intel or Microsoft.”
So true. Just look at some of the companies that were once considered indestructable: Standard Oil, Carnegie Steel, Vanderbilt Railroads, Philip-Morris Tobacco… and there are many others we could name as well.
The only sure thing is change and if a company isn’t able to adapt and change with it, it’ll just be swept into the dustbin of history. Who knows? Maybe M$ will soon get knocked off its perch too and not know what hit it until it’s too late.
MaWo is ‘moved’. As in: ‘The market moved and M$ became irrelevant.’
Let’s not count our eggs before the hen lays them. What if IBM, Sony and Toshiba refuse to sell Cell to Apple?
Don’t know enough of the the techno details yet but if it is cool and the future I would expect Steve to jump on the wagon. Apple as a company is much better at being able to change directions quickly when situations warrant. Wintel will have to continue on their current path even if it is heading right into an iceberg. They are too large and cumbersome and bloated to be able to change quickly and will have to hope they can just bull through.
Beryllium,
That would probably suck. Donkeys.
Isn’t the Cell a powerPC type processor controling multiple processing cells? Hence still a powerPC platform, more or less?
Has Intel ever looked into something different? I don’t really care about the Intel/Windows world, so I haven’t being keep up with what they have tried recently.
“If I were running Apple, I would milk the Macintosh for all it’s worth – and get gusy on the next big thing. The PC wars are over. Done. Microsoft won a long time ago”
~ Steve Jobs 1996
IBM, Sony and Toshiba unveiled details Monday of a microprocessor they claim has the muscle of a supercomputer and can power everything from video game consoles to business computers…
Kunitake Ando: “Strategically, it is very important for Sony to work with Apple to create great applications that work seamlessly with all Sony products.”
Steve Jobs graciously returned the compliment, noting the two companies’ cooperation on camcorders and digital still cameras. And hinting at a deeper relationship, he added, “Who knows? Maybe one day on computers and music.”
If the Cell is being tested under Linux you know it is also being tested with Unix and OS X is going to be there also. Apple has a huge investment in the PowerPC as one of the original developers and with their ownership position they are going to be on top of this big time.
An interesting thought is that Cell has been around for a while now in the development stages and one would think that Apple has been looking at it while working on Panther and Tiger (if not before). I wouldn’t be surprised to see a major announcement at the 2006 WWDC – generating a lot of excitement among developers. Maybe this year, but I think 2006 would the the optimum time.
You people don’t read enough
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Go over to… http://www.macsimumnews.com …and find the articles by Neo. Great stuff about the cell. And how Apple fits in.
According to Ars Technica, using the Cell would require A LOT of reprogramming of OS X to take advantage of it.
“No company is invincible. Not even Intel or Microsoft.”
Don’t forget Pan-Am, world’s biggest airline, six months later gone. Due to oversights in security.
I’m going to take the contrarian position on this one:
Horse Puckey!
IBM has been unable to take a PowerPC processor from 2 gHz to 3 gHz in over a year. Yet, supposedly, here we are with a Power PC processor with 8-SIMD-like cells grafted on, and it runs at more than 4 gHz? And runs circles around the current processor? And is cheap enough for a game system?
I don’t think so.
On the other hand, on the non-contrarian side, it sure would account for all the delays on faster laptops and desktops from Apple. They are just waiting to jack this puppy into everything as soon as it is released.
I think it is pretty safe to say that the PowerPC architecture has failed to dethrone the x86 architecture…
It’s not over, with the Cell being a PowerPC-based chip, the fight has only taken another chapter.
To use the car analogy, Ford has never enjoyed the kind of market share that Intel does.
Ford has enjoyed such marketshare way back when everyone owned a Model-T Ford because the attitude people have today in regards to using Windows PCs, people had that same attitude with Model-T Fords; in short, it was a safe bet at the time. But things will change and other players in the market (including Apple) will rise to the occasion. Expect to see Amiga’s return to the fold once OS4 is complete (I wonder if OS4 will beat Longhorn to market??).
Two interesting quotes:
“In the home, that could allow for a device that’s capable of handling a video game, television and general-purpose computer at once.”
Steve Jobs: (talking about what fruit Apple’s relationship with Sony might yield) “Who knows? Maybe one day on computers and music.”
Here’s an exciting idea. How about a Mac running on a 4.5ghz Cell processor that also has Sony’s PlayStation OS loaded? That would immediately take care of the “there are no games on the Mac” complaint! Man, the possibilities are really exciting!
Can anyone tell me if Core Image works on single or double precision numbers? I’ve heard talk of CI being targeted for both GPU and the SPE’s in the Cell, but I know the SPE’s are single precision.
Actually, I’ll take a bet that with Cell’s ability to take on the tasks of a GPU, DSP and who knows what else, that PowerPC’s annual numbers will exceed Intel’s eventually.
Remember, PPC is used in automotive, CE, telecoms, routers, as well as Apple computers. Add in Playstation 3, Xbox 2, and, say, nVidia.
When Cell processors ship at 4 GHz then I will believe IBM can get there. We have heard GHz predictions from IBM before. Of course, the problem with getting the G5 to 3 GHz probably Lies with the Altivec units and not with IBM technology.
IBM is all talk and no product.
Where´s a IBM processor faster than 2.5 GHhz???
And then having this info for a long time IBM sells off its own PC division?
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm……………….
i refuse to buy the hype until we have some hard information about the cell. right now it’s just pr press releases. arstechnica has a nice in-depth article on how LITTLE we really know about what the cell does. i remember the sony “emotion engine” that was supposed to change everything. and remember how transmeta was going to school everyone? hype sucks.
DudeMac is correct, the core of the processor is a 64-bit PowerPC, so the POWER/PowerPC architecture is very much in the hunt for the title.
Basically, the Cell processor is a PowerPC with multiple 128-bit vector subunits, analogous to AltiVec/Velocity Engine, but each vastly more powerful and capable than AltiVec, in fact a processor in its own right, with its own RAM. But the interesting thing about Cell is not so much the hardware, but the software that runs on it. “Cell” refers to the software objects that the system handles. Data is broken up into objects that actively seek the resources on which to run, i.e. the next available vector unit, and migrate to it, even across networks, including the Internet. The result is that you’ll open iPhoto, apply a correction to an image, but the job actually runs on some kid’s computer in Zimbabwe.
It’s more accurate to refer to it as “CELL”, in capitals, becasue it really is a hard/software system and not just a piece of hardware.CELL represents a tectonic shift in the way data will be distributed and managed, and the aim will be to make pervasive use of this system, in game consoles, televisions, cellphones, PDA’s, and other media-handling devices. If the perceived advantages of distributed processing lead to this system being more popular than the World Wide Web, which is entirely possible, given the the fact that the overwhelming proportion of processors in use do not reside in computers, then the STI aliance (Sony, Toshiba and IBM) will be in the driver’s seat.
The danger to Apple, and it is a real one, is that manufacturers of personal computers could be driven to extinction if the vast majority of consumers of electronic information manage it by other means. Why do I need a computer when I can order movies on my PDA or CELLphone and have them delivered to my TV?
Apple has to think carefully about this one, because they can’t take a half-bite. If they adopt CELL, their high-end hardware market could evaporate, but it could boost to them status of an electronics colossus if the Mac mini or its successor become the go-to solution for the average homeowner. But remember here that they’re butting heads with Sony, a company much larger than Apple, with decades more experience with consumer electronics, and a founding member of the STI alliance. The distributed nature of the system also possibly spells doom for for OS X. Apple would have devise a new software strategy around CELL, including rewriting all their applications to run on it.
There are outlandishly difficult programming challenges ahead, but if it succeeds CELL’s impact could be astounding.
Read the fine analysis of the danger to the Wintel duopoly by The Register.
For once MDN the car analogy is correct. MS and Intel will not rule forever. Any of you study martial arts? In the soft arts your opponents strength becomes a weakness. MS 90% market share becomes a weakness because it is too big to easily move to other paradigms. A smaller outfit like Apple can genuinely innovate and make a more rapid response to market opportunities.
Gates is trying to position the media PC as the next big thing. would you want a hulking great beige box under your TV?
Tacitus