The BIg Iron at IBM a portend of things to come?
<a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/23/23752.html"; target="_blank">http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/23/23752.html</a>;
Not so much interested in POWER4, myself (it's way to big and powerful and expensive for Apple), but the quote snipped below:
[quote]Some people expect IBM to use the "Cell" Power processors being co-developed with Sony and Toshiba for consumer devices and games machines in low-end and midrange pSeries servers. This may or may not happen.<hr></blockquote>
It seems that any PowerPC chip good enough for consumer devices, games machines AND midrange servers might just fit the bill for the Powermac.....
Sadly, the aricle is redolent with the goat-smell of non-clarity, so I have no idea if the 'cell'-power chips are the s-Star chips.
(Let's make one thing clear that someone will absolutely say around 5 posts from now: the POWER4 is definitely NOT going to be in an Apple product.)
Jet
Not so much interested in POWER4, myself (it's way to big and powerful and expensive for Apple), but the quote snipped below:
[quote]Some people expect IBM to use the "Cell" Power processors being co-developed with Sony and Toshiba for consumer devices and games machines in low-end and midrange pSeries servers. This may or may not happen.<hr></blockquote>
It seems that any PowerPC chip good enough for consumer devices, games machines AND midrange servers might just fit the bill for the Powermac.....
Sadly, the aricle is redolent with the goat-smell of non-clarity, so I have no idea if the 'cell'-power chips are the s-Star chips.
(Let's make one thing clear that someone will absolutely say around 5 posts from now: the POWER4 is definitely NOT going to be in an Apple product.)
Jet
Comments
[quote]
Also it will have no effect on desktop PPC development. You won't be seeing it in workstations for quite a while, what makes you think it will have any impact on consumer desktops?
Actually, I don't think that's entirely true. While the actual Power4 chip won't appear on any desktops, not even a SC version, a lot of the technology is being filtered down to the next consumer level variant. In other words, it will have a huge impact on upcoming PPC designs. I'm afraid I can't really elaborate. Although this can be considered a little more longterm, there are other short-term goodies coming down the pipe.
As you said Apple is a niche market and there is no incentive to develop aggressive designs for it.
I think you'll be surprised.
Regards,
MrNSX <hr></blockquote>
And later in the same thread:
[quote] My question is do you have equal access to x86 prototype designs.
As a company, yes absolutely. In fact, more so than what we get from Apple/Motorola/IBM. If you mean me personally, then no, I am more familiar with future PPC designs and
details than x86.
If you don't. I'll take your enthusiam with a grain of salt.
As you can understand, I can't go into details. Let me assure you that my enthusiasm is not misplaced.
Regards,
MrNSX <hr></blockquote>
(<a href="http://arstechnica.infopop.net/OpenTopic/page?a=tpc&s=50009562&f=8300945231&m=6650972682&r= 2270979682#2270979682" target="_blank">Ars Power 4 thread</a>)
Mmmmm ... aggressive ... :cool:
I think that this Register article confirms that IBM is deadly serious about making deadly serious CPUs.
Pushing this theme a little further, did I hear correctly that IBM is getting out of the desktop PC business? If so, there might be less internal opposition to a closer relationship with our fave fruit-flavoured company. Here's hoping!
[ 01-21-2002: Message edited by: boy_analog ]</p>
[quote] Well there's multiple new CPU's in the works from both Motorola and IBM. Unfortunately I don't have a lot of in-depth details on most of these designs, and what information I do know,
I can't share due to NDA. Suffice to say that pipelines are being lengthened and code will need to be recompiled to take full advantage of the new CPU's. HOWEVER, existing code will
also run better due to having more instructions in-flight and less dispatch/resource restrictions. Sorry for being necessarily vague.
Regards,
MrNSX <hr></blockquote>
Yes indeed: both Motorola and IBM are preparing chips with longer pipes.
If these two consoles with more powerful hardware begin to steal a lot of market share and revenue from Sony, they'll be pressuring IBM to complete the design for the "cell" as soon as possible.
With the addition of the design teams from Sony and Toshiba that developed the Emotion Engine, and the new technologies IBM developed with the Power 4, I think we'll be seeing an incredibly powerful PowerPC chip probably sometime next year.
There is more money to be made in servers and workstations for them.
<strong>I've read a Sony executive say that they may have to change their schedule for the release of PS3 depending on the success of the X-box and to some extent the GameCube, they may have to try and bring it out much sooner than originally planned.
If these two consoles with more powerful hardware begin to steal a lot of market share and revenue from Sony, they'll be pressuring IBM to complete the design for the "cell" as soon as possible.
With the addition of the design teams from Sony and Toshiba that developed the Emotion Engine, and the new technologies IBM developed with the Power 4, I think we'll be seeing an incredibly powerful PowerPC chip probably sometime next year.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Suddenly, if Sony and IBM and Apple can acheive a harmonic convergence on what the PowerPC can/should do, it seems a lot better than Motorola futzing about, no?
Another piece of the puzzle? Only time will tell.
Jet
Hell, I bet that baby would be able to emulate a PowerPC architecture without barely breaking a sweat.
Sadly, its still a few years off though.
<strong>I am pretty high on the Sony/IBM/Toshiba alliance. The "Cell" chip looks to be something incredibly stunning.
</strong><hr></blockquote>
Is there any substantive info on this chip? We were expecting a lot from the PS2 and while it had some impressive performance features, its also a pain and in some ways very slow.