Microsoft turning to IBM for XBox2 CPU
Quote:
A memorandum of understanding has been signed between Redmond and Big Blue concerning the development of hardware for future XBox-releases. Details were not given as yet, but Bernie Meyerson, working in IBMs technology group comments that the new XBox-technology will be based on the latest CPUs developed by IBM. Usual marketing blah following.
A memorandum of understanding has been signed between Redmond and Big Blue concerning the development of hardware for future XBox-releases. Details were not given as yet, but Bernie Meyerson, working in IBMs technology group comments that the new XBox-technology will be based on the latest CPUs developed by IBM. Usual marketing blah following.
German link as I did not find anything in english through google.
Interesting, the G5-powered XBox2?
EDIT (more links):
- Press release .
- The Register .
- MacRumors.
- Wired
Comments
Originally posted by Textpollution
Can't really say anything more, but there are some fairly fundamental changes in the XBox 2.
wow...fairly fundamental?! get right out of town, the future...TODAY!
Originally posted by Wrong Robot
wow...fairly fundamental?! get right out of town, the future...TODAY!
Roll your eyes all you want. I'm not going to expose myself to MS's maniac legal department.
GameCube uses IBM now and PS3 is supposed to use IBM as well. Wow...could all 3 consoles be using IBM CPUs in 2005?
Originally posted by Amorph
The PR says they've licensed IBM "process technology," not that they're using an IBM CPU.
Either that or the G5 is getting Little-endian mode sooner than we think...?
David
UPDATE - Microsoft turns to IBM for next Xbox chip
Monday November 3, 11:46 am ET
(Adds analyst)
NEW YORK, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. (NasdaqNM:MSFT - News) on Monday said it would turn to International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM - News) for microchip technology that it will use in the next version of its popular video game console, the Xbox.
Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft, the world's largest software company, used a chip from the No. 1 microprocessor maker, Intel Corp. (NasdaqNM:INTC - News), in the first version of its Xbox, which was released in 2000.
Richard Doherty, of Seaford, New York-based Envisioneering, a technology advisory company, said that IBM's PowerPC chips consume less power and run cooler than other chips. They compete with chips from Santa Clara, California-based Intel and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NYSE:AMD - News), a much smaller microprocessor maker in Sunnyvale, California.
"Intel had wrestled away the design win for Xbox from AMD at the last minute, and this will probably be quite a surprise to Santa Clara this morning that the next generation from their ally in system design, Microsoft, is going to their rival," Doherty said.
IBM, based in Armonk, New York, has licensed microprocessor technology to other companies and makes chips for Apple Computer Inc. (NasdaqNM:AAPL - News) and for the Nintendo gaming console, among others, in its factories.
IBM opened a new semiconductor plant in East Fishkill, New York earlier this year and has been trying to lure new customers to the plant.
The next version of Xbox is expected to be announced in January by Microsoft founder and Chairman Bill Gates and to be on sale next fall ahead of the holidays, according to Doherty.
IBM is also working with Sony Corp. on a chip for its next version of the PlayStation gaming console. Earlier this year, Nvidia, which makes graphics chips often used in gaming, also turned to IBM to start making certain of its chips.
similar speculation over at The Register.
most interesting comment is that IBM is already sampling the G5 at 90nm.
impressive.
Originally posted by Amorph
The PR says they've licensed IBM "process technology," not that they're using an IBM CPU.
Well, yes and no. Of course they are not going to use a stock CPU like the G5, because those were developed as allrounders whereas gaming platforms have a highly special requirements profile.
I don't know the target date for the Xbox2, but I guess it'll be around 2005/2006 - there will be some drastic improvements in CPU tech until then.
BUT, the interesting bit is "Microsoft has licensed leading-edge semiconductor processor technology", which clearly indicates they are not simply using IBM as a chip foundry, but "the new Xbox technologies will be based on the latest in IBM's family of state-of-the-art processors" (both verbatim from the press release). We do not know if MS simply licenses IBMs memory interface to have ATI implement it and goes with intel for the CPU, but I doubt it. It sure sounds like they are going to leverage the latest and greatest in processor know-how from IBM.
And in a way, this would make sense, given that IBM is developing custom PPCs for the PS3 already.
The one thing that puzzles me is that we are speaking of MS here - never very fond of experiments. They almost always stuck to the familiar technologies. And, switching CPUs would require quite a bit of work to get the NT core and DirectX running at top-notch speed on a PPC.
Originally posted by Smircle
Well, yes and no. Of course they are not going to use a stock CPU like the G5, because those were developed as allrounders whereas gaming platforms have a highly special requirements profile.
I don't know the target date for the Xbox2, but I guess it'll be around 2005/2006 - there will be some drastic improvements in CPU tech until then.
BUT, the interesting bit is "Microsoft has licensed leading-edge semiconductor processor technology", which clearly indicates they are not simply using IBM as a chip foundry, but "the new Xbox technologies will be based on the latest in IBM's family of state-of-the-art processors" (both verbatim from the press release). We do not know if MS simply licenses IBMs memory interface to have ATI implement it and goes with intel for the CPU, but I doubt it. It sure sounds like they are going to leverage the latest and greatest in processor know-how from IBM.
And in a way, this would make sense, given that IBM is developing custom PPCs for the PS3 already.
The one thing that puzzles me is that we are speaking of MS here - never very fond of experiments. They almost always stuck to the familiar technologies. And, switching CPUs would require quite a bit of work to get the NT core and DirectX running at top-notch speed on a PPC.
Yes they will use a custom PPC design. I don't think Microsoft is going to hire IBM just to make X86 chips (even if IBM did fab many X86 chips in the past : i don't knwo if it's the case now). Microsoft is not also a chip designer.
It's a great victory for IBM, it means that a least for some products PPC are the best technology. It's the best ratio consumption/ power.
IBM will going to be the number one and unique chip supplier of game consoles : amazing
Originally posted by Fran441
I read this months ago and thought the rumors were discounted, especially since Microsoft wanted Xbox games to run on the 'Xbox 2'.
Is one of the fundamental changes going to be to support it better so that it isn't a huge money drain that only a mega-billion dollar corporation could have as acceptable attrition?
Originally posted by Smircle
BUT, the interesting bit is "Microsoft has licensed leading-edge semiconductor processor technology", which clearly indicates they are not simply using IBM as a chip foundry, but "the new Xbox technologies will be based on the latest in IBM's family of state-of-the-art processors" (both verbatim from the press release).
You know, I read that, copied and pasted from the press release, and still got it wrong! I read it as "leading-edge semiconductor process technology, which is something totally different.
There I was, wondering what interest Microsoft could possibly have in process tech.
Originally posted by Splinemodel
Is one of the fundamental changes going to be to support it better so that it isn't a huge money drain that only a mega-billion dollar corporation could have as acceptable attrition?
It could, in fact, become twice the drain it is now.
Puzzle over that.
Game on! Technology Group wins Xbox chip
November 3, 2003
Microsoft has selected IBM over Intel for the microprocessor technology that will power the next generation of the Xbox game console.
IBM earned this business because of its advanced chip technologies and deep development capabilities ? required to create the chips that will provide the performance the future Xbox will need ? which no one else in the industry can provide. The new Xbox systems will use chips based on IBM's family of state-of-the art processors.
"Competitive gamers are looking for gamemakers to provide greater functionality in game systems ? higher resolution and more realistic graphics, better sound quality, faster system response, wireless features, enhanced online gaming capabilities, even two-way audio," said John E. Kelly, III, senior vice president and group executive. "And the gamemakers are looking to us for technology that can deliver that kind of gaming experience."
IBM also is working with Sony Computer Entertainment to develop the processor for the next version of its Playstation game system, Playstation3. With involvement in both Xbox and Playstation3, IBM is the future of gaming when it comes to chips.
Intel: Denied!
Winning this deal unseats Intel, which provides the processors for the current Xbox systems. This is the second time in recent months that IBM has handed Intel such a setback. Earlier this year, IBM won the business to provide the processors for Apple's new G5 personal computer over Intel.
"We kept Intel out of the Apple G5 and now we've kicked them out of Xbox," said Jeff VerHeul, vice president, Engineering and Technology Services, who leads the team that won the Xbox business. "Not bad, considering one Intel executive recently called us 'trivial.' I wonder how trivial he thinks we are now."
VerHeul said time-to-market, flexibility, and price also were critical factors in Microsoft's decision to choose IBM, because the gaming industry moves so quickly and is so competitive. IBM's ability to do everything from design through manufacturing makes it especially attractive to Microsoft.
The deal establishes IBM as the leading supplier of advanced chip technology to the gaming industry. IBM currently makes the processors for Nintendo's GameCube systems and recently began shipping in volume the GeForce FX advanced graphics processor for NVIDIA, the premier supplier of graphics chips for the gaming industry.
Two years ago, IBM began working with Sony to develop the processor for the next generation of its game system, PlayStation3. And now IBM has won the next-generation Xbox.
Growing market, growing opportunity
Game systems and games are among of the fastest growing segments of the consumer electronics market. Analysts estimate that the worldwide market for games and systems was roughly $20.7 billion last year and is expected to grow to as much as $30 billion by 2007.
This deal takes advantage of IBM's full scope of chip capabilities, with many of TG's major worldwide operations involved ? design in Rochester, development in Austin and RTP, manufacturing and packaging in East Fishkill, and mask and test work in Burlington.
"That exemplifies the type of deals we want to sign ? ones that use our full expertise and capabilities, and allow us to capture a substantial portion of growing gaming market revenue," said Dr. Kelly.
Very interesting.
Originally posted by Willoughby
It is true!
GameCube uses IBM now and PS3 is supposed to use IBM as well. Wow...could all 3 consoles be using IBM CPUs in 2005?
You know what I'm thinking? Microsoft pays IBM an exuberant sum of money to have IBM kill their negotiations with Sony and Nintendo, thus eliminating the competition, or at least delaying it.
Sounds like Microsoft.
Originally posted by Fran441
Very interesting.
What's more interesting are the omissions.
(This being said regardless of the fact that it does include an implicit reference to just how close we were to having OSX on Intel.)
Although I think this is more of a coup. Showing Apple a powerful CPU that doesn't require them to change course dramatically or become a minority customer of a chipmaker that doesn't do custom work is one thing; beating Intel on its own turf is another.
This means, of course, that several crucial MS libraries (DirectX, anyone?) will be ported to PPC. Which means, rather than Apple moving OS X to Intel, we'll see MS (begin to) port Windows to PPC! You can be sure that Gates will hold that threat over Intel's head.
Either that or the G5 is getting Little-endian mode sooner than we think...?
If the byte order needs flipping, Altivec's permute on a vector with byte elements might do it.