Roy Schestowitz wrote:
> ____/ Jerry McBride on Tuesday 10 June 2008 02:01 : \____
>
>> Roy Schestowitz wrote:
>>
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>>> Hash: SHA1
>>>
>>> Military Supercomputer Sets Record
>>>
>>> ,----[ Quote ]
>>> | The Roadrunner is based on a radical design that includes 12,960 chips
>>> | that are an improved version of an I.B.M. Cell microprocessor, a
>>> | parallel processing chip originally created for Sony?s PlayStation 3
>>> | video-game machine. The Sony chips are used as accelerators, or
>>> | turbochargers, for portions of calculations.
>>> `----
>>>
>>>
>>
>
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/09/technology/09petaflops.html?_r=1&ref=technology&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin
>>>
>>> The Cells typically run Fedora, IIRC.
>>>
>>>
>>> Related:
>>>
>>> IBM cells out, allegedly
>>>
>>> ,----[ Quote ]
>>> | Biggish blue has officially released its first computing system based
>>> | around the Cell Broadband Engine, or Cell BE.
>>> |
>>> | [...]
>>> |
>>> | One of the beta users at the University of Manchester said it gave the
>>> | outfit improved performance, took up less space, and consumed less
>>> | power.
>>> `----
>>>
>>> http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=34831
>>>
>>>
>>> IBM begins selling Cell blades
>>>
>>> ,----[ Quote ]
>>> | Unlike IBM blades with Big Blue's Power processors, Intel's Xeon or
>>> | Advanced Micro Devices' Opteron, the Cell blades can't be intermixed
>>> | with other varieties in the same BladeCenter chassis. The systems
>>> | run Red Hat's Fedora Core 5 version of Linux.
>>> `----
>>>
>>>
>>
http://news.com.com/2100-1006_3-6115225.html?part=rss&tag=6115225&subj=news
>>
>>
>> Awesome news about te Cell. I wonder when the Cell will be available for
>> desktop usage? I long for the day when I could have a quad core Cell and
>> Linux on my desk.
>
>
> Maybe that's good for video editing/rendering. There's not much that
> requires so much power and can't be shifted to a server (controlled from
> the desktop/terminal). For gaming there's the PS3.
>
>
It just occurred to me... if IBM were to start selling Cell powered
desktops... it would usher in a new wave of hardware upgrades... the likes
of which you never saw before. Once Average Joe gets a taste of Cell and
Linux... the WINTEL group would begin to freeze in Hell... AMD too. Seem's
to me that IBM has an ace in the hole. The big question is, why and what
are they waiting for?
--
Jerry McBride (jmcbride@xxxxxxxxxx)
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