[dba-Tech] I want one - now!

Uhhh... A url to get at the article?

John W. Colby
www.ColbyConsulting.com 

Contribute your unused CPU cycles to a good cause:
http://folding.stanford.edu/

-----Original Message-----
From: dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
[mailto:dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Stuart McLachlan
Sent: Friday, January 21, 2005 7:11 PM
To: Discussion of Hardware and Software issues
Subject: [dba-Tech] I want one - now!


How about super computing on your desktop for a couple of hundred 
dollars?  Looks like this is what is coming from the Cell processors 
that Sony/Toshiba/IBM are working on.   Looks like the future of 
computers is still rosey but may not be Intel.

I do recommend you read the whole thing.  The author is doing a good 
job of boiling it down for the less technical types.

-------------------------Quote---------------------------------
The Cell architecture is essentially a general purpose PowerPC CPU 
with a set of 8 very high performance vector processors and a fast 
memory and I / O system, this is coupled with a very clever task 
distribution system which allows ad-hoc clusters to be set up.

What is not immediately apparent is the aggressiveness of the 
design. The lack of cache and runtime virtual memory system is 
highly unusual and has not done on any modern general purpose CPU in 
the last 20 years. It can only be compared with the sorts of designs 
Seymour Cray produced. The Cell is not only going to be very fast, 
but because of the highly aggressive design the rest of the industry 
is going to have a very hard time catching up with it*.

To sum up there's really only one way of saying it:

This system isn't just going to rock, it's going to play German 
heavy metal.

---------------------End Quote--------------------------------
-- 
Stuart


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