Tech Shout!

New York, USA.-based IBM Corp. has begun the production of a more advanced version of the Cell microprocessor, which is the chip ‘Big Blue’ created with Sony Corp. and Toshiba Corp.

The new Cell Broadband Engine is being manufactured at IBM’s factory in East Fishkill, New York, using a 65 nanometer manufacturing process, which is an enhancement on the existing 90-nanometer process. Normally such a step in process technology results in a chip that is physically smaller and uses less power.

The Cell chip is used in computers manufactured by IBM, however it is most well-known for its inclusion in Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.’s (SCEI) next-gen gaming console PlayStation 3 (PS3).

The first Cell-based computer was introduced by IBM in September 2006. The BladeCenter QS20 is being promoted to industrial users in the medical imaging, aerospace, defense, digital animation, communications and energy sectors. Early users include the University of Manchester and Fraunhofer Institute.

In addition, IBM has also won a contract from the U.S. Department of Energy to supply a supercomputer based on the Cell processor. Code-named “Roadrunner,” the computer will be capable of up to 1,000 trillion calculations per second (one petaflop).

A team of computer scientists from IBM, Sony Group and Toshiba has teamed up on the development of the Cell microprocessor at a joint design center established in Austin, Texas, since March 2001.

SCEI is planning to use a 65-nanometer version of the Cell in future versions of the PlayStation 3 to help cut manufacturing costs.