National   

Now, "fun" chips fuel "serious" computing

Anand Parthasarathy

IBM uses the futuristic "Cell" processor to supercharge its business "servers"

SUPERCHARGING MACHINE: The individual server which goes into the IBM BladeCentre in the background is powered by the nine-core `Cell'' chip (inset). — Photo: IBM media resources

Bangalore: It seems to be a case of a high-tech tail wagging the computing dog. Chips created for the "fun-n-games" mass market of music and video are proving to be so powerful that they are being deployed to "supercharge" the machines being used in corporate computing.

IBM announced on Thursday that the new series "H" BladeCenter, a stack of identical computer modules or "blades" used as a server for high-end business applications, will be powered by the futuristic "Cell" processor, that the company has developed with the booming video games console market in mind.

The "Cell," which IBM developed in partnership with Japanese entertainment electronics giants Sony and Toshiba, is considered to be a "supercomputer-on-a-chip" with the number-crunching muscle required to deliver the fast video and graphics capability that today's computer games-playing kids demand.

It was scheduled to make its debut next year under the hood of the third edition of Sony's iconic games console, the PlayStation, and would have been the first "9-in-1" processor for the mass entertainment market: a single slab of silicon with 9 processor cores ticking away on board.

Dizzying effects

But IBM found that the chip that could create all those dizzying games effects, for the "Young and Restless" generation, was just the thing to boost the performance of its line of Blade servers for the office. Indeed, its release claims that with the "Cell" fuelling each "blade" or single board computer in the server, the performance could be improved ten-fold.

The "Cell"-powered servers do not come cheap at $3,849 (Rs. 1.7 lakh) each. But they anticipate a day when the most powerful computers around will be the ones your kids play with — and at a fraction of the price you pay for serious computing.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

CPI (M) discusses poll strategy
TTD proposes steps to tackle pilgrim rush
Children in PoK orphaned by the earthquake face an uncertain future
Wayanad adalat cannot order killing of stray dogs: Maneka
The key to Dispur is in BJP's hand, says Mahajan
``Reinstated staff can't claim back wages''
Centre to promote semiconductor manufacturing sector
V.V.K. Mani passes away
Internet Explorer has a new version with many new features
Now, "fun" chips fuel "serious" computing
"Examinees not entitled to answer paper copies"
Employee on contract is no government servant: apex court
Lalu's assurance to the physically challenged
Kumaraswamy-led coalition wins vote of confidence
MoA signed with U.S. for exchange of energy data
Wal-Mart, Monsanto on Indo-U.S. Agriculture Initiative board
Raj Babbar to form manch
Mahajan urges CEC not to allot work to Chawla
BJP fears hike in fuel prices
BJP not shy of alliances in States: Rajnath
Ceasefire opens up old routes in PoK
Arrested with fake currency
Tejinder Khanna may head the committee on demolitions
Kalam plans undersea sortie
Insulting cartoons: `violent acts' condemned
I want to be remembered as a good fellow: Kalam
Loans for MLAs to buy cars
Warrants against Geelani, Malik

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu