I.B.M. to Build Supercomputer Powered by Video Game Chips
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The Department of Energy awarded I.B.M. a contract to build a supercomputer using chips designed for the coming PlayStation 3.
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Massively parallel, 64-bit POWER-based processor to debut at ISSCC
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Known for graphics processors designed for video gaming, the company now enters the market for high-performance PC processors.
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In a historic development in the computing world, IBM has succeeded in re-writing the rulebook for ultra-powerful computing by developing the worldâs most powerful supercomputer- Blue Gene/L supercomputer, surpassing NECâs Earth Simulator in Japan.
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By JORDAN ROBERTSON SAN JOSE, Calif. - Intel Corp. has designed a computer chip that promises to perform calculations as quickly an entire data center - while consuming as much energy as a light bulb.
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Setting up a battle for the future of computing, engineers from IBM, Sony, and Toshiba unveiled details yesterday of a microprocessor they claim has the muscle of a supercomputer and can power everything from video game consoles to business computers.
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The project will tap into the power of home PCs to create a virtul supercomputer. By Paul McDougall. As part of a broader effort to spur collaborative research in key industries, IBM on Tuesday launched a project
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The PlayStation Portable is going to have one complex processor running the show for games and multimedia.
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A chip the size of a fingernail and capable of more than a trillion calculations per second is unveiled by Intel.
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(InfoWorld) - In an upgrade that could improve chip performance for gamers and multimedia users, IBM plans to double the performance of its microprocessors in 2008 by using smaller, more efficient memory, according to a paper presented at the ISSCC (International Solid State Circuits Conference) trade show in San Francisco Wednesday. IBM plans to use DRAM (dynamic RAM) instead of SRAM (static RAM) as the embedded memory cache built onto each chip. The change will allow each chip to store its data in one-third the area and use one-fifth the electricity for standby power, said Subramanian Iyer, director of 45-nanometer technology development at IBM. The approach will vastly improve chip performance for multicore processors and for applications that need to move large amounts of graphic data, such as gaming, networking and image-intensive multimedia, he said. IBM is already using the new embedded DRAM (eDRAM) in 65nm prototype chips, and plans to roll it out commercially by 2008 for its entire range of 45nm chips, including its Power line. The technology could have a big impact on consumer electronics, since IBM supplies chips for all three of the top gaming consoles; Sony Computer Entertainment's PlayStation 3, Nintendo's Wii, and Microsoft's Xbox 360. A typical commercial microprocessor like Intel's Core 2 Duo devotes 60 percent of its surface area to memory, Iyer said. Replacing that with eDRAM cells taking up just one-third as much space will allow chip designers to build smaller chips and reduce the "run lengths," the length of wire that data must travel as it commutes around the chip, said John Barth, senior technology staff member and chief of eDRAM architecture for IBM. IBM has used embedded DRAM in its chips for the BlueGene supercomputer, but those PowerPC processors use moderately performing, bulk-technology DRAM, which is far slower than SRAM. To create the new design, IBM will add a high-speed type of DRAM to its current silicon-on-insulator (SOI) architecture. "This DRAM now is almost as fast as SRAM. It may not be as fast at the micro level, but when you get down to 45nm, it will be faster at the system level. It's going to just blow the doors off," Barth said. "A typical microprocessor takes 14 clock cycles to get data from its cache. Using DRAM slows that down, but only one clock [cycle]. By doubling the amount of memory on the die, we can get double-digit percentage gains at the system level." The advance comes at the same time that several other chip vendors are seeking better ways to move large quantities of graphics data. Advanced Micro Devices evenÂ acquired graphics card maker ATIÂ in 2006, and now plans to combine its graphics power with AMD's processing chips in a single chip called Fusion. That challenge was compounded in February, since Microsoft's new Vista OS has a graphics-intensive interface that demands increased PC storage space, faster processors and even separate graphics cards or coprocessors.
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A new computer chip developed by Intel promises to perform calculations as quickly an entire data center, while consuming as much energy as a light bulb. By the Associated Press.
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Can the latest high-powered consoles offer more than videogames? You bet.
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PC World's initial test results for this gaming chip are impressive.
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The chip is expected to be unveiled Tuesday, in time to bump up the performance of game desktops before the holidays.
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A chip capable of more than a trillion calculations per second (teraflop) is unveiled by Intel.
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Upcoming chips will lead to relatively inexpensive hardware, company says.
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European research institutes are  linking together four supercomputers to create the world's  fourth most powerful megacomputer, without having to spend the  money it would normally cost to build such a monster.