Jim Kahle spills the beans on the Cell

Our source recently had an interview with Jim Kahle, the brains behind the PS3’s Cell. Yep, he’s the man behind the cell. This guy’s really a pro when it comes to microprocessor stuff, as he’s been working on it for about two decades now. He’s also one of the founding members of the Somerset Design Center, which “designs chips formed by Apple, Motorola and IBM”, as well as the chief architect of IBM’s Power 4 microprocessor.

Now that his gargantuan credentials got you convinced of his “Cell authority,” let’s move on to the interview itself.

Basically, he said that the Cell chip designs were finished around 2004, and they have been working on improvements ever since. There’s the cost reduction factor plus better performance factor, which spells good news for PS3 fans (come on, a cheaper and better Cell is bound to make anyone happy, right?).

In regards to future plans, Kahle said that they’re aiming for a teraflop chip by 2010, which is about four or five time faster than the current Cell installed on the PS3. He added that it’s also possible for the Cell to go outside the PS3’s realm, as “it will be useful in high-performance computing and open another set of markets.”

Also, the Cell might be fused with the graphics chip, like what Sony did with the PS2’s Emotion Engine back then. However, Kahle says that they have to look at how it will affect the Cell’s performance: “I don’t know if it is inevitable. We have to understand the pros and cons of it.”

Hmmm… sounds like there’s much in store for the PS3’s tiny Cell. I’m definitely looking forward to the cost-reduced-but-way-better-performance” part. Hopefully it will get implemented really soon.

Our source recently had an interview with Jim Kahle, the brains behind the PS3’s Cell. Yep, he’s the man behind the cell. This guy’s really a pro when it comes to microprocessor stuff, as he’s been working on it for about two decades now. He’s also one of the founding members of the Somerset Design Center, which “designs chips formed by Apple, Motorola and IBM”, as well as the chief architect of IBM’s Power 4 microprocessor.

Now that his gargantuan credentials got you convinced of his “Cell authority,” let’s move on to the interview itself.

Basically, he said that the Cell chip designs were finished around 2004, and they have been working on improvements ever since. There’s the cost reduction factor plus better performance factor, which spells good news for PS3 fans (come on, a cheaper and better Cell is bound to make anyone happy, right?).

In regards to future plans, Kahle said that they’re aiming for a teraflop chip by 2010, which is about four or five time faster than the current Cell installed on the PS3. He added that it’s also possible for the Cell to go outside the PS3’s realm, as “it will be useful in high-performance computing and open another set of markets.”

Also, the Cell might be fused with the graphics chip, like what Sony did with the PS2’s Emotion Engine back then. However, Kahle says that they have to look at how it will affect the Cell’s performance: “I don’t know if it is inevitable. We have to understand the pros and cons of it.”

Hmmm… sounds like there’s much in store for the PS3’s tiny Cell. I’m definitely looking forward to the cost-reduced-but-way-better-performance” part. Hopefully it will get implemented really soon.