Cell to take a crack at the Pentium?

Yes, we all know that the Cell multicore processor is the key component behind the PS3, but is that just the beginning? It sounds like the Cell may be breaking out into the other markets after its launch in the PS3 such as PC’s, multimedia devices, 3D graphic design, and even CAT and MRI scanners as well as radar and sonar devices. Who knows, someday even your toaster may have a Cell chip…

Putting the Cell in a gaming console gives the chip a high-profile start. Sony’s gaming machine, PlayStation2, has been the hottest console in history, topping 100 million units in November after five years on the market. Analysts predict the next-generation machine will do even better. Sony is expected to sell more than 12 million PS3s in the first year and reach the 200 million mark within five years, estimates researcher Envisioneering Group.

Those numbers would give Sony the crucial economies of scale needed to ratchet down the cost of each chip — estimated in the hundreds of dollars today. But matching Intel’s reach won’t be easy. The No. 1 chipmaker has sold hundreds of millions of Pentium microprocessors in PCs over the years. “The Pentium chip is unique in its stature, and I don’t ever expect its success to be repeated,” says Tom Starnes, an analyst at market-watcher Gartner.

[Read]

Thanks for the tip, Manhunt3!

Yes, we all know that the Cell multicore processor is the key component behind the PS3, but is that just the beginning? It sounds like the Cell may be breaking out into the other markets after its launch in the PS3 such as PC’s, multimedia devices, 3D graphic design, and even CAT and MRI scanners as well as radar and sonar devices. Who knows, someday even your toaster may have a Cell chip…

Putting the Cell in a gaming console gives the chip a high-profile start. Sony’s gaming machine, PlayStation2, has been the hottest console in history, topping 100 million units in November after five years on the market. Analysts predict the next-generation machine will do even better. Sony is expected to sell more than 12 million PS3s in the first year and reach the 200 million mark within five years, estimates researcher Envisioneering Group.

Those numbers would give Sony the crucial economies of scale needed to ratchet down the cost of each chip — estimated in the hundreds of dollars today. But matching Intel’s reach won’t be easy. The No. 1 chipmaker has sold hundreds of millions of Pentium microprocessors in PCs over the years. “The Pentium chip is unique in its stature, and I don’t ever expect its success to be repeated,” says Tom Starnes, an analyst at market-watcher Gartner.

[Read]

Thanks for the tip, Manhunt3!

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