IBM
Nieuws
IBM, Sony, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. en Toshiba onthullen
nieuwe details van de Cell Microprocessor
Deze bekendmaking zal Cell-based application ontwikkeling verder
aanmoedigen.
IBM, Sony, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., en Toshiba zetten met
deze nieuwe onthullingen hun strijd voort om de evaluatie en het
gebruik van Cell technologie verder te stimuleren.
Amsterdam, August 25, 2005 IBM, Sony, Sony Computer Entertainment
Inc., (Sony and SCE together referred to as Sony Group) and Toshiba
today announced the release of key documents that describe new
technical details of the revolutionary Cell Broadband Engine
architecture. The documents are available at
www.ibm.com/developerworks/power/ and www.cell.scei.co.jp. Toshibas
Cell website is currently under development.
Todays announcement is the next major milestone in the Cell project,
which began with the formation of the STI (Sony Group, Toshiba and
IBM) Cell Design Center in Austin, Texas in March of 2001. Technical
specifications were released in much anticipated papers delivered at
San Franciscos International Solid State Circuit Conference (ISSCC) in
February, 2005.
By opening up a wide set of technical specifications to software
developers, business partners, academic and research organizations,
and potential customers, IBM, Sony Group and Toshiba continue their
work to aggressively stimulate the creation of Cell-based
applications. The goal: establish a thriving community of interest and
innovation around Cell, allowing all interested parties to rapidly
evaluate and utilize Cell technology.
Specifically, the companies will make available documents describing
the following components of the Cell microprocessor:
The Cell Broadband Engine Architecture -- defines a processor
structure directed toward distributed processing and multimedia
applications. The architecture contains a control processor based on
the Power Architecture, augmented with multiple high- performance SIMD
Synergistic Processor Units and a rich set of DMA commands for
efficient communications among processing elements.
The Synergistic Processor Unit Instruction Set Architecture (SPU ISA)
-- discloses the high performance SIMD RISC processor designed to
accelerate media and streaming applications for systems based upon the
Cell Broadband Engine Architecture.
Synergistic Processor Unit C/C++ Language Extensions, Application
Binary Interface, and Assembly Language specifications which aid
software developers in unleashing the full processing power of the
SPUs.
In addition, IBM will launch a new discussion forum on DeveloperWorks
focused on the Cell processor. DeveloperWorks hosts more than 100
articles, tutorials and other resources related to development on the
Power Architecture.
IBM and its partners are committed to providing the development and
open source communities with comprehensive, early access to the Cell
Broadband Engine architecture and to encouraging those exploring the
infinite possibilities of Cell, said Jim Kahle, IBM Fellow. We
strongly support an environment that removes virtually all barriers to
building innovative applications based on Cell.
We believe that the Cell architecture disclosure will allow more
people to freely access the core technologies, said Masakazu Suzuoki,
vice president of microprocessor development, SCEI. Through this we
aim to firmly support software development technology in the mid to
long term, particularly for middleware, and to accelerate the
dissemination of Cell to stimulate the industry as a whole.
The release of these technical documents is important for our
customers, allowing them to see for themselves how the Cell Broadband
Engine and its superb capabilities can support them in developing
breakthrough applications, said Mitsuo Saito, chief fellow, Toshiba
Corporation Semiconductor Company. We will now reinforce our support
for Cell with solution proposals based on combining Cell with other
resources we have developed, including the Super Companion Chip
dedicated peripheral LSI, software, reference kits and system
development environment. These tools will allow our customers to
create powerful, remarkable systems.
About IBM
IBM develops, manufactures and markets state-of-the-art semiconductor
and interconnect technologies, products and services including
industry-leading Power Architecture microprocessors. IBM
semiconductors are a major contributor to the companys position as the
world's largest information technology company. Its chip products and
solutions power IBM eServer and TotalStorage systems as well as many
of the world's best-known electronics brands.
IBM semiconductor innovations include dual-core microprocessors,
copper wiring, silicon-on-insulator and silicon germanium transistors,
strained silicon, and eFUSE, a technology that enables computer chips
to automatically respond to changing conditions. More information is
available at: http://www.ibm.com/chips
About Sony Corporation
Sony Corporation is a leading manufacturer of audio, video, game,
communications, key device and information technology products for the
consumer and professional markets. With its music, pictures, computer
entertainment and on-line businesses, Sony is uniquely positioned to
be the leading personal broadband entertainment company in the world.
Sony recorded consolidated annual sales of approximately $72 billion
for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2004. Sony Global Web Site:
http://www.sony.net
About Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
Recognized as the global leader and company responsible for the
progression of consumer-based computer entertainment, Sony Computer
Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) manufacturers, distributes and markets the
PlayStation® game console, the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment
system and the PSP (PlayStation®Portable) handheld entertainment
system. PlayStation has revolutionized home entertainment by
introducing advanced 3D graphic processing, and PlayStation 2 further
enhances the PlayStation legacy as the core of home networked
entertainment. PSP is a new portable entertainment system that allows
users to enjoy 3D games, with high-quality full-motion video, and
high-fidelity stereo audio. SCEI, along with its subsidiary divisions
Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., Sony Computer Entertainment
Europe Ltd., and Sony Computer Entertainment Korea Inc. develops,
publishes, markets and distributes software, and manages the third
party licensing programs for these platforms in the respective markets
worldwide. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Sony Computer Entertainment
Inc. is an independent business unit of the Sony Group.
About Toshiba Corporation
Toshiba Corporation is a leader in the development and manufacture of
electronic devices and components, information and communication
systems, digital consumer products and power systems. The company's
ability to integrate wide-ranging capabilities, from hardware to
software and services, assure its position as an innovator in diverse
fields and many businesses. In semiconductors, Toshiba continues to
promote its leadership in the fast growing system-on-chip market and
to build on its world-class position in NAND flash memories, analog
devices and discrete devices. Visit Toshiba's website at
www.toshiba.co.jp/index.htm
Voor meer informatie kunt u contact opnemen met:
Gerjan Vasse
IBM Benelux
06 202 263 56
gerjan_vasse@nl.ibm.com