| IBM, Sony and Toshiba team up against rivals Intel and AMD Leading representatives of the high-tech industry, IBM, Sony and Toshiba, promise to revolutionize the computer and consumer electronics market. At the international conference on solid-state microcircuits currently taking place in San Francisco, they presented their joint development - the new universal microprocessor The Cell. Its clock frequency is 4 GHz, which is several times higher than that of analogues, in particular, the X86 development owned by Intel.
The main advantage of the processor, according to critics, is its versatility. Modern processors, including those developed by leaders in this field - Intel and AMD, are intended for use in personal computers. With the advent of The Cell, new opportunities will open up for consumer electronics manufacturers. Developers are going to give new “brains” to high-definition TVs, DVD players and modern game consoles. “This processor is suitable for use in game consoles and multimedia applications,” the head of Sony Corp.'s microprocessor development unit told Bloomberg. Masakazu Suzuoki. “In some areas, in home digital systems for example, it provides a tremendous advantage.”
Collaboration between IBM, Sony and Toshiba in the development of this technology began in 2001. A research center was specially built in Texas. Now the project participants are talking about its immediate implementation in the near future. Sony, the world's second largest manufacturer of consumer electronics, promises to use the miracle processor in the new version of the Playstation 3 game console, which will go on sale in 2006. However, the premiere may take place a little earlier. Representatives of the world's leading computer manufacturer IBM announced that they are ready to equip their machines with new chips in the first half of 2005.
According to Tom Starnes, who heads one of the divisions of the research company Gartner Inc. (specializing in semiconductors), the experience and technological capabilities of the three industry giants are enough to shake the position of the current leaders in the semiconductor industry. Now the leading technology in the production of processors is the development of X86, owned by Intel. It is also used by another well-known processor manufacturer - AMD. “I believe that for Intel this (the emergence of The Cell. - Ed. ) is a serious threat, because the company may lose its popularity as a manufacturer of processors for personal computers,” says Mr. Starnes. “And this is exactly what Intel is putting all its efforts into.” Denis UVAROV |
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