When the Cell Broadband Engine was unveiled by IBM, it was a 90nm circuit and already back then there was talk of migrating to 65nm. This new chip will be the heart of Sony’s new 40GB PlayStation 3 console. IBM has now announced that it will move from today’s 65nm SOI process to the new 45 high-k manufacturing process. The new chip is 34% smaller, and consumes 40% less power. The chip is otherwise identical, which certainly indicates that this is a way of aiding Sony.
A smaller and more efficient processor will not only result in lower manufacturing costs (and perhaps cheaper PlayStation 3 consoles), but also open up open up the possibility of new, and slimmer designs. We’re still waiting for an optimized NVIDIA RSX graphics circuit, and we will certainly need one for a slim PSThree, but hopefully it is in the making.
