512 PowerPC processors in one box!

karavite

karavite

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FYI, interesting article on a new IBM computer in the NY Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/14/technology/14super.html

"The prototype has 512 PowerPC 440 microprocessors, which are similar to the I.B.M. 970 processor being used in Apple Computer's G5 Macintosh, but each with a lower clock speed. By lowering the clock speed governing how fast the chip executes calculations, it is possible to pack the processor chips far more closely together. Speed is then made up in other areas of the computing system."

Could you imagine this puppy and rendering speeds in Final Cut Pro? :)
 
of course it is, unless you subscribe to the fallacy that time is money. Then the time it takes to give them your e-mail address is just toooo toooo much money.
 
Very interesting, especially the whole concept of slowing down the processor and speeding up the processing.

The Earth Simulator is using 500 mhz NEC processors. I remember in the NeXT days, Jobs said (still true) "It's all about throughput."
 
Despite what the NY Times says, the PowerPC 440 series is actually more like the PowerPC 750 series then the PowerPC 970 series chips.

The design of the 440 series is to embed elements that we would usually associate with elements on a logic board or add on card into the actual chip. Getting all this on a single chip is part of the reason that the 4xx series chips have increased their clock speeds so much slower then the 7xx series.

Looking at the history of all this, I would point out that the 970 follows the POWER4 which followed the POWER3 series which followed the 604 series which followed the 601 series. Both the 750/740 and 440/405 series followed the 603 series which followed the 601 series. (see image)
 

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RacerX rules! :D

If only more people were like RacerX, not only here but everywhere! And according to knowledge=power then RacerX is a VERY powerful guy ;)
 
Hey RacerX, thanks for the evolutionary lesson on Power PC chips. I am way out of my element here, but I was wondering - is what IBM is doing with all these processors anything that will ever be incorporated into desk top computers? I'm not expecting a home computer in 2010 with 512 processors, but what I mean is, outside of the super computer world, does this kind of thing represent something that will impact the little guy and/or Macs of the future?
 
I'm not sure that this particular feat is any more than the same type of thing as when IBM spelled out "IBM" with atoms back in the '80s. It seems like mainly a proof of concept.

The big plus for IBM here is that these PowerPC 440s are finally being seen. It is quite incredible all the things they pack into these little chips and IBM has now shown that they still give off very little heat and use very little power but can (in groups of 512) make the top 500 supercomputers list.

Because everything (short of video) is right there on the chip, it would be great for handhelds and tablets.

I was surprised when I started reading about them. I really hadn't thought they were much more than a low powered version of the 740/750 series. Then to read the specs was like reading the specs of an actual PC. I had no idea!
 
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