IBM Offers Design Services for Cell

Online staff -- 3/30/2005

Hoping to advance market usage of its Cell architecture, IBM will offer design services to help companies integrate the microprocessor technology into a range of electronics products, the company said today.

Big Blue said the campaign will target the likes of home entertainment, government laboratories, digital security, higher education and deep computing, noting special attention for critical "image-hungry" applications, such as in the aerospace, defense, industrial or medical segments.

“IBM’s new design services could have significant impact on expanding the number of applications that leverage Cell’s unique capabilities,” said Pat Toole, general manager of IBM Engineering & Technology Services (E&TS), in a statement.

IBM E&TS clients using these services will be able to access a Cell software simulation environment through IBM’s Deep Computing Capacity on Demand center in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

Custom design services for Cell from IBM are to include system architecture and design; chip, module and board development; expanded blade design; power, mechanical, electrical, thermal and industrial design; firmware and Linux driver development; regulatory and agency industry standards testing; interoperability and compatibility testing; and manufacturability, reliability and serviceability. These services also will be offered through IBM’s consultants and industry-specific teams.

The Cell processor, developed by IBM, Toshiba and Sony, is an architectural design featuring eight synergistic processors plus a Power Architecture-based core. According to IBM, it has top clock speeds of greater than 4GHz, as measured during initial hardware testing.

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