XBOX 2 CPU TO BE A 65nm part? check it out
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Xbox 2 CPU To Be A 65nm Part
Jan. 16th, 2004 06:00 am
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Last month, we posted an announcement made by Sony and Toshiba (one of the two Sony’s partners for the PlayStation 3) telling the world that trial production of chips (the cell) using a 65-nanometer manufacturing process would begin this March, with commercial production of the final chips expected for summer 2005.
In that story we also suggested that the Xbox 2 CPU could also be a 65-nm part since both Sony and Microsoft are going head-to-head for the next round in “The Console Wars.”
Today we can confirm that the Xbox 2 CPU will also be built using a 65-nanometer manufacturing process.
“It’ll be built on a 65-nanometer process,” a source confirmed to TeamXbox. “IBM has already taped out experimental samples at its East Fishkill fab but it will take between 12 to 18 months for them to deliver commercial parts. Anyway, they’re way ahead of Intel.”
There are countless stories as to why Microsoft decided to drop Intel in favor of IBM. But sometimes, it just could be as straightforward as Jodie Foster claims in the movie Contact, "The simplest hypothesis is most likely to be true."
And the truth is, when it comes to microprocessors, IBM has been pulling off one success after the other. It was the first company to deliver a 64-bit processor for the desktop, the PowerPC 970 found in Apple’s Power Mac G5 and, contrary to what most analysts predicted, it is the first company to deliver a 90nm microprocessor: the second generation PowerPC 970 found inside the new Xserve G5 that will also power the second revision of the G5. With this updated PowerPC 970, IBM delivers a 90nm processor before Intel’s Prescott.
“With the new 90nm manufacturing process, IBM broke the 2 Ghz barrier. The 65-nanometer technology will allow them to break the 3 Ghz barrier for sure and get closer to the 5 Ghz mark,” our source further clarified and was quick to add, “However, this is not just about clock speed. The more important thing here is what this baby and its specialized cores can do in a single clock cycle.”
For those really technically savvy, you may have noticed the same inaccuracy that we perceived. He used the word “cores” instead of “units”, which left us wondering…is Sony the only one coming with a CPU that is made of small groups of cores working together to process tasks in parallel? Only time will tell.
So, there you have it. Like kids comparing their toy collections, Microsoft can also say to Sony, “I’ve got one too” regarding the most advanced chip manufacturing process.
We’ll have more on the Xbox 2 CPU soon. Stay tuned.
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CPU for Dummies
A microprocessor is made of transistors, which are, basically, tiny electronic switches. The processor executes a collection of instructions based on whether these switches are on or off. Current microprocessors, such as the Intel Pentium 4 and the AMD Athlon XP, are built using a .13 micron process; meaning its transistors are just 0.00000013 meters wide. The chip industry is soon switching to a 0.09 microns (or 90nm) manufacturing process and speeding up the process of 65nm fabrication.
A smaller fabrication process allows you to have smaller transistors. The smaller the transistors, the more you can place in single chip; resulting in more computational power. Also, as they get smaller, signals that travel within the processor have to a travel a smaller path, resulting in faster speeds. So, the smaller the transistors, the faster the chip operates. This is why processors have reached higher clock speeds with the pass of time.
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. Xbox 2 will rule the Console War.
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