Sony\'s Monster chip

[nO-One]

This got me pretty excided.

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. has disclosed more details of its latest graphics rendering engine, a 462-mm2 beast that makes the company\'s Graphics Synthesizer chip featured in Sony\'s Playstation 2 look like child\'s play.

The device contains 256-Mbit of on-chip embedded DRAM, or eight times more than the current Graphics Synthesizer. The DRAM and wide 2,000-bit internal buses can deliver 48 gigabytes per second of bandwidth.

In raw graphics performance, the chip can process 75 million polygons per second, has a pixel fill rate between 1.2 and 2.6 gigapixels/s and can draw 75 million polygons/s, according to Aurangzeb Khan, vice president of Simplex Solution Inc. (Sunnyvale, Calif.), who presented a paper on the graphics processor here at International Solid-State Circuits Conference.

Simplex worked with Sony Computer Entertainment and other Sony divisions to come up with the physical design of the chip using its hierarchical design methodology. Simplex plans to commercialize the EDA tool, which can generate "black box" timing models, by June, Khan said.

Using 0.18-micron design rules, the latest Graphics Synthesizer is an astounding 21.7 x 21.3-square-millimeters and contains 287.5 million transistors, with embedded DRAM taking up most of the silicon real estate. By contrast, the current Graphics Synthesizer in the Playstation 2 uses 42.7 million transistors and measured 16.8 x 16.8 mm when it was first introduced on a 0.25-micron process.

Khan said the latest incarnation of the Graphics Synthesizer is as big as a chip can get from a manufacturing point of view. "It barely fits on the reticle," he said.

The device contains so much on-chip memory that it turns the embedded DRAM adoption model upside down. Normally, standalone DRAMs are the highest-density memories on the market, while devices that combine logic and embedded memory sport only a fraction of that memory density. Most DRAM makers aren\'t planning to move to 256-Mbit standalone DRAMs until they shift to new 0.15- or 0.13-micron process technologies.

Yield is one obvious concern with a chip this size, though Khan said Sony is satisfied with current yields at this point. He would not say whether the chip would be used in a follow-up version of the Playstation 2.

Sony has taken gambles before with chip size. It\'s 128-bit MIPS-based Emotion Engine processor, first manufactured on a 0.25-micron process, was considered too large to be used profitably in the Playstation 2, given Sony\'s price for the console. Game console makers traditionally subsidize the high cost of their hardware through sales of game titles, especially in the early stages of manufacturing. Sony, however, hit some snags in the manufacture of its Graphics Synthesizer for the Playstation 2 last year, which hindered the number of consoles it could sell.

The latest graphics chip was demonstrated last year at Siggraph 2000 in New Orleans.

Sony\'s 128-bit Emotion Engine CPU may soon find a place outside the Playstation. Toshiba America Electronic Components Inc. (San Jose, Calif.) has been working to develop a core version of the processor, which it expects to introduce to market in several months. It\'s parent company, Toshiba Corp., manufactures the Emotion Engine for Sony.

Toshiba has expressed interest in offering the 128-bit processor for high-end routers and switches. The core will be one of the first processors to undergo significant rework and tuning by Toshiba\'s U.S. subsidiary, said James Smith, director of business development for Toshiba\'s MPU division.

That\'s one heck of a chip Sony\'s got there.

I personally think this will be the chip to go into the PS3 but I think it will more powerful one than this.  Not by too much but I can see them increasing the clock speed or something similar to that. Nice chip though! I am skeptical about the yields but if they say it\'s going well then more power to them.

hmmmm intresting to see what happend next, but then again there is always the chance that is "could" be a PR stunt or a hoax.

only time will tell.

so i am keeping out of this one till i see hard facts.

But great looking chip though, if the article is correct, no offence mate.

I don\'t think it will, since sony are aiming for something 1000x faster than ps2, and although that chip is not a bad one, the ps3 will (probably) be much much faster than that

[nO-One]

It\'ll probly go into graphics workstations.
The PS.3 chip will have to have all the features that will be in use in 5 years time.

yeah Sony has already copyrighted the name PLAYSTATION 3 which will also include PS 3 too.

but that wont be for another 5 years yet .

From what I heard this just the GS1 with 32mb of ram in it instead of 4mb of ram in the PS2 version.This chip I think will be used in the GScube.The real GS2(along with the EE2) probably won\'t materialize until around Spring 2002 imo.But fron reading that we can just imagine how powerful the GS3 will be which will be used in the PS3 :eek:

Seems like there\'s no other change to the chip than the amount of memory (from 4 to 32MB)

they prolly use it in GScube or as experiment for GS2..

Originally posted by ProfessorX
I personally think this will be the chip to go into the PS3 but I think it will more powerful one than this.  Not by too much but I can see them increasing the clock speed or something similar to that. Nice chip though! I am skeptical about the yields but if they say it\'s going well then more power to them.

This is just the 1st stage of the chip that will make it into the PS3

It will be even more powerful as they continue R+D\'ing for the next 3 years then spend the last 2 bringing it all together in a console form IMO

This one of the reason I support Sony, they never sit still and are on a mission to push the gaming industry as far as they can as fast as they can. The fact that they will be using similiar architextures in PS3 will mean learning curves should be shortened and dev\'s will be familiar early on. It will be interesting to see how Nintenod and MS react with R+D efforts themselves?????

check out this link
sony loves to make new an innovative products
thats why myself and america, japan and the world loves sony. They never quit!

http://digitalmass.boston.com/news/daily/02/020701/sony_slimscreen.html

That chip will probably be used in routers and or servers

The PS3 will have a completely redesigned EE and GS, two generations ahead of the current.  The chips will have a compatible programming library...but the big question is whether or not we have reached the end of an era?  You ask what era...the era of polygons--if ps3 is 1000 times faster it should easily be capable of realtime nurbs and raytracing in some form, who\'s to say that\'s the reason sony completely redesigned console architecture to fit that of streaming data applications.  Sony\'s innovation may not be fully appreciated now...but in time, it will revolutionize everything...even if that means waiting till ps3 to see sony\'s true vision

I love Sony.
And if you\'re not down with that I got two words for ya.

[nO-One]

Originally posted by Solid Snake 88
I love Sony.
And if you\'re not down with that I got two words for ya.

Well I\'m waiting what are these words you speak of?

lol. You know the two words.

I read something about that on a french site this morning ;
I don\'t know how true it is, but it seems that Sony plans
the PS3 to be out for the end of 2002 !!!

Do you guys heard about that? I\'d like it to be confirmed..

The info was not really clear, from what I read it seems
the ps3 should be available as a brand new machine, or as an upgrade of ps2...

I don\'t like to start rumors....but that\'s what I saw this morning. Any infos/comments welcomed !