PCSTATS     
[X]   Directory of
Guides & Reviews

Beginners Guides
Motherboards by Brand
Weekly Newsletter
Archived Newsletters

IBM's CELL Processor: Preview to Greatness?
IBM's CELL Processor: Preview to Greatness? - PCSTATS
The tiny CELL chip contains a powerful 64-bit Dual-threaded IBM PowerPC core but also eight proprietary 'Synergistic Processing Elements' (SPEs).
Filed under: CPU / Processors Published:  Author: 
External Mfg. Website: IBM May 15 2005   Max Page  
Home > Reviews > CPU / Processors > IBM

The Element Interface Bus: Cellular Network

The SPEs are connected to each other and the Power PC 'brains' of the Cell by means of an 'Element Interface Bus' (EIB); this set of four 128-bit wide data channels also connects to the L2 cache memory and to the Memory Interface Controller and FlexIO 'front side bus' to pass data outside the chip. The EIB is a circular bus with two channel 'rings' traveling in opposite directions between and through the elements of the Cell processor.

The PowerPC Processing Element

This remains a bit of a mystery, as significant details of the operation of this processor have not yet been revealed by IBM and the partnership. What is known is that the 'main' Cell processor is a 64-bit chip that supports dual-threaded (SMT) operation, using a 32KB L1 cache and a 512KB level 2 cache.

Most likely, the PowerPC Processing Element (PPE) will act as the controller, receiving, synchronizing and translating data 'jobs' and parceling them out to one or more of the SPEs for processing. Given that it's a powerful processor in its own right, the PPE may also lend its muscle to the number crunching also.

Memory Interface Controller (MIC) and FlexIO: Communicating Outside the Cell

The Memory Interface Controller connects to the EIB and passes data to and from main memory. It's built into the die of the Cell processor, similar to the approach taken by AMD with its 64-bit Opteron and Athlon 64 processors. The IBM MIC is connected to dual channels of Rambus (yes that name again) XDR memory. Total bandwidth should be in the area of 25GB/s. The Cell needs a fast memory interface to handle the data it's capable of spewing out.

The connection between the Cell chip and the rest of the system will be handled by the proprietary 'FlexIO' bus, providing a daunting 76.8GB/s maximum bandwidth. This huge number is broken up considerably by the fact that the ingoing and outgoing data handling capacity of this bus is split into two parts; 'coherent' data traffic intended for transmission to other Cell processors and 'non-coherent' traffic intended for the rest of the system as in a typical 'front side bus' arrangement.

< Previous Page © 2023 PCSTATS.com Next Page >

 

Contents of Article: IBM
 Pg 1.  IBM's CELL Processor: Preview to Greatness?
 Pg 2.  — The Element Interface Bus: Cellular Network
 Pg 3.  Beyond Playstation 3: The future of the Cell?

 
Hardware Sections 


 
PCSTATS Network Features Information About Us Contact
FrostyTech
PCSTATS Newsletter
Tech Glossary
Technology WebSite Listings
News Archives
(Review RSS Feed)
Site Map
PCstats Wallpaper
About Us
Privacy Policy
Advertise on PCSTATS

How's Our Driving?
© Copyright 1999-2023 www.pcstats.com All rights reserved. Privacy policy and Terms of Use.