IBM Halts Cell Processor Development
(update) IBM halts development of PowerXCell 8i successor.Published 23/11/2009 at 9:36.
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The PS3′s innovative ‘Cell’ processor presumably won’t be used in the PS4 if reports this morning, claiming the chip is “dead in the water”, are to be believed. Apparently German website Heise Online has quoted IBM’s Vice President of Deep Computing, David Turek, saying the planned successor to the current processor, slated to have two PowerPC processors and 32 SPEs, will not be released. Extrapolating, then, you can summise that the Cell processor line is terminated, at least as far as IBM is concerned, with the current PowerXCell 8i the last one off the production line at the company.
The Cell, once stated to be in everything from games consoles to food blenders, was never particular quick at certain tasks, with a 1.4GHz Niagara already running 13 times faster than the 3.2GHz Cell at ‘long string pattern matching’, for example. What does this mean for the PS4, which was reported to be utilising the Cell architecture? Well, it’s entirely possible that it’ll still use the 8i, although by the time the PS4 rolls around it’ll be a little outdated. Let’s hope IBM have something else up their sleeves for the next generation, as there’s nothing stopping them going down the hybrid GPU route.
Thanks, Shyru.
Update: It appears that the sourced article at Fudzilla isn’t quite the full story. Reading further into this, the original German story at Heise actually states that it’s only the planned successor to the current PowerXCell-8i processor, slated to have two PowerPC processors and 32 SPEs, that will not be released. There’s no specific mention that IBM are halting the development of other Cell processors in the report, and thus there’s every chance that the PS4 could still use some variant of the Cell. Hope this clears up this story somewhat.
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cc_star | 23/11/2009 09:39
Team TSA: Writer
12622 TSA Points | Member since: Forever
Oh well, there goes hopes of making a dollar profit with a PS4 then, although we’ll all be living in the cloud by then won’t we?
iiekka | 23/11/2009 09:41
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212 TSA Points | Member since: Feb 2009
either that or under water… CPUs change all the time is it really that much of a supprise, i no they spent alot of time/money on the cell but it was never gona last 10 years +
Raen | 23/11/2009 09:44
Team TSA: Writer
4754 TSA Points | Member since: Mar 2009
It’s not just the chip, it’s the architecture and that normally lasts a while.
cc_star | 23/11/2009 10:08
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The games which get the best out the PS3, Uncharted, Killzone2 & Uncharted2 use the SPU’s for graphical processing tasks.
If the architecure dies along with the Cell then so does all their advancements, learnings and all sorts of other goodness.
If there ever is a PS4 and it doesn’t have common ground with the PS3, then the PS3 will be one of the biggest wastes of money Sony or a tech company could have done. Imagine starting from scratch again and going through billions more in R&D and a whole load of pain with developers trying to get the hang of something else
Raen | 23/11/2009 10:35
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You mean like they did when they decided to move to the Cell for the PS3? I can definetly see them avoiding that at all costs given the critique they’ve got this generation
DJ Judas | 23/11/2009 09:44
Epic
932 TSA Points | Member since: Aug 2008
Lower Bus speeds and more cores, that’s the future………….Oh wait, devs have trouble with what’s the most efficient method don’t they?
superjag86 | 23/11/2009 09:56
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861 TSA Points | Member since: Feb 2009
This still doesn’t mean an end to using Cell in the next Playstation. Since the version used in the PS3 the Cell chip has gone through a number of revisions and it’s not impossible to use multiple numbers of the latest (PoweXCell 8i) version in the PS4.
It would be a cheap and very effective solution.
Oh and according to Richard Leadbetter over at the Digital Foundry there are no credible sources to the Sony/IMG rumour posted awhile ago.
Raen | 23/11/2009 10:08
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I could see the 8i being a solution, although I don’t think they’d need to add multiple chips. The 8i already has significantly added speed compared to a standard Cell, and it would significantly increase the cost and power consumption of the PS4 to do so. Not to mention the inherent heat issues that would be generated by it.
I’d seen Leadbetter’s comments via Twitter, although I’m still classing it as a likely rumour. IMG has made several comments in the past about a partnership with a significant electronics manufacturer, so it could possibly be Sony. Nowhere near definite, but Sony would certainly fit the bill of a big client for them.
superjag86 | 23/11/2009 10:11
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I think IMG are partnering with Sony to do the next PSP using that multi-core PowerVR processor.
Raen | 23/11/2009 10:37
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They may well be, that seems to be very likely at this point. However if that happens it may lend more reliability to the PS4 rumours as they would already be partnered with the company. We won’t hear any vague confirmation for a while anyway.
Damigos | 23/11/2009 10:00
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teflon | 23/11/2009 10:49
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3846 TSA Points | Member since: May 2009
If the Cell dies, then there goes every chance of us seeing back compatibility on the PS4. Since it’s already been too difficult for them to emulate the PS2 on the PS3, it’s probably 100 times trickier to emulate the PS3…
The thing to think of is where we’ll be in 2011 when the final specs for the next generation are likely to be nailed down. This is the first generation (excluding the GC and Wii), where we’re likely to see the following generation use very similar components that are simply evolved versions of the former.
Whilst the PowerXCell 8i does look fantastic, Sony would be looking to the third revision of the chip to be ready for the PS4. Maybe it wouldn’t need all that much development, but I’d like to see double the SPEs and a much more powerful central PPE.
Perhaps IBM have got something up their sleeves which will become the spiritual successor to the Cell with lots of cores and plenty of power?
bunimomike | 23/11/2009 10:49
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10424 TSA Points | Member since: Jul 2009
Dear developers,
stick with us, we might well use a CPU that’s easier to programme for.
Yours sincerely,
The Not-Going-to-be-much-longer Cell Team.
Lorcan | 23/11/2009 10:50
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I thought the point of spending so much money on the cell processor was so that they could use it in the PS4 too.
I’d heard it was going to get updated which would mean it was cheap to develop and produce and also would cut down the development time for the console meaning they’re not as likely to get undercut by Microsoft like last time.
Raen | 23/11/2009 10:55
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Well they were going to update it, that’s the 32 SPE design (I still don’t think that’s practical personally). And now they’re not. So I guess they’ll probably just go for the 8i, which is around fold increase over the current cell anway, at least in terms of raw computing power.
RedStarGlow | 23/11/2009 12:34
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Betamax, Minidisk, UMDs, now the Cell Processor? Why do all the good Sony technologies have to die? :-)
Raen | 23/11/2009 12:49
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Actually I know a bunch of people who still use Minidisk. Weird I know, but they still use it (mostly for stuff like radio jingles, apparently very good for that).
syson | 23/11/2009 14:19
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do you have any actual proof of this e.g. a link or other forum of proof just seems surpisous how there no actual referances
nofi | 23/11/2009 14:34
Wants a custom tag.
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First link in the text: http://www.fudzilla.com/content/view/16530/38/
Administraitor | 23/11/2009 14:37
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Where’s the actual proof that the Ps4 won’t use the Cell processor? Where? Do you even understand the terms of the agreement between Sony, Toshiba, and IBM? Hmm?
Stop the trolling already, it only makes your website look like a pathetic N4G-hit-searching establishment.
Raen | 23/11/2009 14:58
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As far as I’m aware IBM are the only people building the chip and (again as far I’m aware) the only ones with a chip fabrication plant to actually produce the units. While they may continue to use the 8i, it seems unlikely, particularly as 8i is already a year old and it seems unlikely that they’d use technology that (assuming a 2012 release date) would be 4 years out of date at release. In addition while it was the STI (Sony Toshiba IBM) alliance that created the Cell, IBM hold most of the patents, not STI. It therefore seems unlikely that (as IBM are essentially saying no more models of Cell) the PS4 would use the Cell.
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