I.B.M. Unveils Server Line That Uses Game Chips
By STEVE LOHR
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/09/technology/09blue.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=
slogin&adxnnlx39465851-dttD7ftVHuHV6WBUhJoTQw&pagewanted=print

I.B.M. is betting on video game technology to bring supercomputer-caliber
visualization tools to its mainstream corporate market and to reduce the
computing costs of daunting tasks like hunting for oil, discovering new
drugs and exploring the human body.

I.B.M. announced server computers powered by microprocessors yesterday,
using an innovative design called Cell, which was created first for video
games.

A Cell chip is the processing engine for Sony's new PlayStation 3 video game
console, expected to go on sale later this year. I.B.M., Sony and Toshiba
jointly developed the Cell technology.

The move by I.B.M. is an example of a reversal of the traditional trend of
technology adoption. In the past, advanced technology was used first by
large corporations and the Pentagon. Today, the consumer market often leads
as the cost of computing continues to drop sharply.

The I.B.M. Cell server, analysts say, will probably be used first to reduce
the cost of applications that now require processing huge amounts of data
and presenting the results visually on a screen.

Those applications include converting seismic data into simulated
underground images to help petroleum companies look for oil and gas
deposits, biological simulations to aid in understanding disease and suggest
therapies, and fluid dynamics simulations to improve the aerodynamic design
and reduce fuel consumption of jetliners.

The Cell technology, at least initially, is mostly suited for a fairly
tailored set of tasks, unlike the broadly general-purpose microprocessors
that power personal computers. The Cell chip will be best at what might be
thought of as "multimedia physics," computing chores that depend on
processing huge volumes of mathematical calculations, known as floating
point operations, at lightning speed.

I.B.M. demonstrated two such applications at a gathering in New York
yesterday. One was to blend satellite photographs with geological data on
landscape contours and elevation data. The result was a simulated flyover of
Mount Rainier in Washington State, shifting the perspective by moving a
joystick.

Another was to assemble multiple scans inside the body. Three-dimensional
images that would have taken minutes or longer to render, even at the most
advanced medical centers today, were presented almost instantly.

Analysts said the Cell systems open the door to real-time imaging technology
during patient consultations or surgery.

The Cell-based server computers will be available this summer. The machines
will be priced at $25,000 to $35,000, an I.B.M. official said, while
full-fledged supercomputers can cost millions of dollars.

The Cell servers will run mostly on the Linux operating system, which is
popular in high-performance computing.

I.B.M. plans to make the Cell technology widely available to universities
and software companies interested in developing applications that will run
on Cell chips.

"We want to see how far we can take Cell technology beyond games, and the
biggest challenge to making that work is the software tools for building new
applications," said William M. Zeitler, senior vice president for I.B.M.'s
systems and technology group.

Visualization can provide a picture of a gigantic amount of information,
often enabling a human user to absorb and understand more information
rapidly.

That is the practical reason for applications from medical imaging for
physicians to terrain mapping for fighter pilots.

Video games work on much the same principle. More and more of computing,
according to I.B.M. researchers, may be presented visually to users in the
future.

"We're hoping that this gaming stuff will get us to the next level of user
interfaces," said James A. Kahle, the chief technologist for Cell systems
and an I.B.M. research fellow.

That may be only a hope today, but industry analysts say the Cell approach
looks promising.

"If you see the future of computing as 'give me the answer now,' it favors
something like Cell, a computer platform designed for photorealistic
modeling," said Richard Doherty, president of Envisioneering, a technology
research firm.

–
Lee Wells
Brooklyn, NY 11222

http://www.leewells.org
http://www.perpetualartmachine.com
917 723 2524