What happened in the sphere PowerPC in 3 years, when the last article had been released on AmigaImpact on the subject? Your servant is embarking on a new status on the situation of the PowerPC, which equips our machines. In three years, the context has changed, ARM created a buzz with its Cortex (A8 and A9), thus leaving its cage. On the other hand, Intel is also going on the offensive in strengthening its position in the embedded world and also using its Core i7 to explore new markets.
On the OS side, the fact remains the major outlet for Android, Google's system for phones and netbooks. This is a patched Linux kernel running an environment with massive use of the Java technology (in fact, the JVM bytecode Dalvik is somewhat different).
Recall that the design of this particular multicore processor resulted of the alliance between Sony, Toshiba and IBM. It obviously equips the Sony PS3 consoles since their release in late 2006. Nearly 24 million were sold at mid-2009. Other high performance products have been created with this technology on board : of course by IBM itself, with its modules QS20 (generating up to 410 gigaflops), QS21 and above all QS22 with its PowerXCell 8i processor also found in the Roadrunner supercomputer (currently second at the top 500).
Other companies such as Mercury, Sony or Fixstars (which develops the Linux distribution Yellow Dog only for PowerPC machines) also released professional products. Aside from the PS3, it seemed that the general public is presented again as a difficult terrain to approach by the PowerPC. However, Toshiba, always present, introduced at CES in Las Vegas in early 2010 a high-end Cell-based TV that can generate real-time 3D video from 2D films. The achievement demonstrates once again (if any were needed) the computing capabilities offered by the Cell.
In late 2009, rumors circulated on the arrested development of the IBM Cell. In fact, it is the firm not to proceed with a version provided by 32 SPU (which was the successor of PowerXCell 8i), without ending the Family Development Cell. However, it seems that IBM could no longer use exactly the same architecture, remaining focused on the integration of multicore and hybrid technologies. Otherwise, nothing definite yet ...
Its features are amazing (frequency of 3 to 4.1 GHz, 1.2 billion transistors, 8 cores, 18 threads, 6 dispatched instructions per cycle, 32 MB L3 cache, ...) and it is announced like 2 times more efficient than the POWER6 for consumption 4 times less. Note that the “reduced” number transistors represent a feat compared to the competition which includes at least two times more transistors. About caches, the latency of L1 cache (32KB) goes from 4 to 2 cycles, the L2 cache (256 KB) from 26 to 8 cycles. To this is added an L3 cache shared between cores and its size reaches 32 MB! This size is made possible through the use of eDRAM memory instead of the more usual SRAM caches, which notably reduces its consumption by 3. Two DDR3 memory controllers reach a speed of 100 gigabits per second.
Of course, all the superlatives that characterize the POWER7 processor makes it very high end, expensive and reserved for servers. The availability of IBM branded POWER7 was officially announced February 9, 2010.
After the Cell and POWER7, news came in September 2009 on a different range of IBM's Power processor. In family 400, which the model 440 is already known to run the ACube Sam boards, there is also the stronger 460 (at the base of Titan), ... and the last one is the 476FP, which operates over 1.6 GHz for 2 5 DMIPS per MHz, for a consumption of 1.6 W at the base frequency. Technically, it conforms to PowerISA 2.05, contains a SIMD unit (AltiVec now called VSX), is burnt in 45nm, has a pipeline “out-of-order” with 9 stages and an L2 cache of 1MB maximum.
IBM is not alone in this history. It provides a processor, but the announcement indicates that the company LSI will use the 476FP to produce its System-on-Chip (SoC), the ACP3448, which will be equipped with 4 cores at 1.8 GHz with 512 KB of L2 cache per core, 4 MB L3 cache, and the usual controllers (DDR3, 10Gb Ethernet, PCIe, ...). LSI has also implemented for the first time its new technology Virtual Pipeline. This SoC integrates the range Axxia (solutions for the network) that LSI has officially presented February 16, 2010 (announcement in French here).
What about the other major player in the PowerPC? It seems the company is in a zone of turbulence for some time. Equipped with an e600 core, the very good MPC8641 (along with dual-core variant) and MPC8610 continue to do their job in the defense industries, medical and aerospace. The MPC8610 might concern us closely since a survey was conducted to determine the interest of our communities (AmigaOS, MorphOS, Haiku, AROS, Linux, ...). It was initiated by Konstantinos Magaritis (a SIMD extensions specialist, see his website codex.gr), who has seen his particular libfreevec adopted by the Yellow Dog distribution, to exploit the AltiVec, for example present in G4 processors. His project of motherboard with MPC8610 has not been as successful as hoped, so he ended up creating a bounty on the site Power2People. The MPC8610 has the advantage of being provided with AltiVec, provide good computing power for low power consumption and ... the work begun by bPlan could be resumed.
Another family of Freescale processors is called QorIQ) and is mainly dedicated to communication and networking hardware. A recent example based around a P2020 is the CAK-2000. The most powerful is the P4080 with its 8 cores, its PCIe controllers, its Gigabit and 10 Gigabit interfaces, its L3 cache, ...
In 2009, the system Android that now runs on more and more phones has been ported to the PowerPC architecture thanks to the work of Mentor Graphics. The reference board is based on MPC8536E processor (e500 core) with SATA, USB, PCI Express, ... Once the system is fully ported on other models, let’s hope it can highlight PowerPC hardware for consumer, benefiting from the popularity of Android.
In late 2008, AMCC finally released the board Arches based on the 460GT processor clocked at 1 GHz. Mainly for the network and storage markets (typically for NAS), this family of processors works at the moment from 800 MHz to 1.2GHz and includes 512K of L2 cache, a memory controller, DDR2 400 MHz 4-port Gigabit Ethernet controller PCIe ...
But the one it was mostly talked about is the Titan which production started in October 2009 under reference APM83290 and includes everything you need (Ethernet, USB, SATA, PCIe, ...). It can reach 2 GHz with low power consumption to 2.5 watts per core, what get less than 15 W for the entire SoC (System on Chip, cores and associated peripherals). For the technical part, the Titan complies with the Power ISA 2.04, its architecture relies on a superscalar out-of-order pipeline with 8-9 stages and its originality is the existence of three levels of caches with a small cache (2 times 4 KB) of level 0!
At the event Pianeta 2008, ACube Systems has announced plans to release a 460-based NAS, but no official information has been given since this product, unfortunately.
Finally, we draw near to the Amiga through the PowerPC: the community was held in suspense for the first days of 2010 with a site (http://www.a-eon.com) having a treasure hunt, with a new item each day. The goal? Advertise with fanfare the famous MAP (Most Ambitious Project) of Hyperion. We then learned that this was a new PowerPC motherboard designed by a partner and that would be produced in the summer in order to run Linux, but also and especially AmigaOS 4!
The project will be as innovative as the Amiga 1000 in his time. For this, the motherboard has a particular coprocessor XCore produced by XMOS (http://www.xmos.com) and capable of executing 8 real-time threads in parallel and offer free high-speed external devices (64 lines per core).
Examples of uses may be many though we don't know yet what specific applications might be developed: audio, LED display, communications, DSP, robotics, display, emulators, ... It is advertised as being very flexible to use, it is programmed in C and uses a new communication port based on the PCIe bus and called Xorro, a nod to Zorro. On the X1000, the coprocessor also includes terminology related to the original chipsets since it is called Xena.
Finally, let’s knock at the heart of the motherboard: the CPU selected has not been disclosed, it is known that it currently has limited availability and it is quite possible it has been never seen. It is a dual-core PowerPC currently running at 1.6 GHz, respecting PowerISA 2.04+ (downloadable document on Power.org) and with a DDR2 memory controller. Predictions are rife went knowing (and sometimes ignoring) these elements. What we can however say:
In the meantime, here are the official features X1000 (copied from site A-Eon) even if some parameters seem to be different from what has been communicated elsewhere (number of cores, 32 or 64-bit architecture, ...) :
Power.org released January 30, 2010 a new version of the architecture document intended to unify the existing differences and to bring new features to the architecture. The Power7 is the first to comply with. For servers, the additions are mostly scalar and SIMD extensions managed by VSX (Vector Scalar Extension), which extends and replaces AltiVec and unifies its name: the name was the Motorola AltiVec, also known as VMX at IBM and Velocity Engine at Apple. From the embedded side, the changes are numerous:
The X1000 was a surprise and it could be the first PowerPC desktop since PowerMac, Pegasos 2 AmigaOne. Many mysteries still surround this machine, we should therefore remain cautious. With the arrival of new processors (Titan, Power7, 476FP, ...) and the publication of PowerISA 2.06, we see that the technology continues to improve. Unfortunately, we regret that the PowerPC does not come through yet in consumer products other than game consoles (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii), which is already a nice recognition and ... guarantees the sale of millions of units. The PowerPC has already demonstrated its excellence, but often seems cursed :
In the meantime, although we feel that the PowerPC hard to be widely distributed in the embedded consumer products that would allow it to be better known, the production of Power7, Titan and still 476FP marks the completion of a breakthrough. Then there is the output of X1000 scheduled for the summer ... back in the desktop category, after years of absence!
In three or four months since the writing of this article, many things happened! Not enough to make its outdated information but we learned much.
Let us honor the Amiga and start with him. We've got big answers! Yes, ACube produces boards based on PPC460 and better than that: the Sam460 does exist, and even runs OS4, it has been shown at the VCF show, end of June. The Amiga X1000 is also in the same case. Its release, however, is postponed to the end of the year but new elements are known: the designer of the map is the British company Varisys (whose leaders were present for the inauguration of the X1000 at VCF) and the processor, although officially undisclosed, may be a PA6T-1682M, inherited from the company PA Semi.
In May, AMCC announced availability of the smallest system-on-ship PowerPC, the APM801xx proposed at frequencies from 400-800 MHz but only consuming less than a Watt! An evaluation board with its Linux SDK is offered for sale. A month later, it was the turn of the APM821xx (1 GHz for a consumption of 3.5 W): highly NAS oriented, it offers Gigabit Ethernet, SATA and PCIe, RAID5 acceleration ... Besides the PowerPC is not misplaced on this growing market, Synology, NAS is equipped with such processors as the DS110 + which uses PowerPC 8533 at 1 GHz.
Other PowerPC are very network-oriented, such as the family of Freescale QorIQ. This one just annoubed a major news : its first 64-bit processors! We will find the cores E5500 in QorIQ 5010 (single core) and 5020 (dual core) at 2.5 GHz. That's high praise and reassurance about the ability of Freescale to continue his development.
Finally, we discussed the promising IBM PPC476: WindRiver becomes the long-term LSI partner for its processor ACP3448, a quad-core 1.8 at GHz completely network oriented to offer a complete software environment (SDK, BSP, operating system, ...).