The Omnipotent Cell Chip

(Via Economist)IBM, Sony and Toshiba have unveiled a new sort of microprocessor. The chip contains eight processing units that can work simultaneously on different tasks and will run at a speed of 4 gigahertz, at least ten times faster than the best chips available at the moment, according to IBM.Described as a "supercomputer on a chip", the features of the new device show that single microprocessors are giving way to a new, "multi-core" design. This allows chips to run more efficiently, using less power and generating less heat. IBM, Sun and Hewlett-Packard already produce high-end computers that use multi-core chips. But no competitor has yet produced a chip as cheap, powerful and versatile as the new Cell chip.That the chip is initially intended for a computer game may strike some as underplaying the technological advance.Microsoft is set to ditch Intel’s Pentium chip from its Xbox in favour of a processor from IBM (though not one as advanced as the Cell chip). And AMD is now perceived to have a technological edge over its much bigger rival.Many analysts think Intel should stick to maintaining its dominance of the PC market, though that too will prove difficult if the claims made for the Cell chip prove true. We are seeing in the internet world, search market, desktop market, enterprise application market, in the chip market- significant advances and are witnessing severe competition for the marketleaders - this adds to vibrancy of the industry and heralds key changes that are likely to happen in the information technology industry.