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IBM Japan To Extend Cell Chip's Use Beyond PS3 To PCs -Nikkei
02 Apr 2008 17:19 GMT DJ IBM Japan To Extend Cell Chip's Use Beyond PS3 To PCs -Nikkei TOKYO (Nikkei)--IBM Japan Ltd. plans to start selling the Cell high-performance microprocessor to new customers this month for use in computers, expanding the chip's applications beyond powering Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.'s PlayStation 3 video game console, The Nikkei reported in its Thursday morning edition. IBM Japan is expected to procure Cell chips from the U.S. parent's plant in the state of New York and sell them through Fixstars Corp., a Tokyo venture company that has been co-developing Cell software with IBM Japan. The processor will be sold to companies as part of an expansion board for high-performance personal computers. This Cell-based product is expected to begin shipping in Japan in August with a price tag of around Y880,000. Fixstars will release the product in other countries later on. It hopes to sell 5,000 units in the first five years. Sales of high-performance PCs that come equipped with the Cell are also planned. [B]IBM Japan has been selling a Cell-based server since October, but its initial costs total nearly Y5 million. The expansion board will not only be cheaper but also easier to use because it will be shipped preconfigured by Fixstars to suit customers' preferences. It is expected to be used to speed up calculations for financial products' risk assessments, weather forecasts, disease-imaging diagnostics and other applications. [/B] [B]Featuring nine cores on a single chip, the Cell delivers processing power up to several dozen times higher than mainstream microprocessors, which are equipped with four or fewer cores. [/B] The Cell was developed jointly by IBM Corp. (IBM), Sony Corp. (6758.TO) and Toshiba Corp. (6502.TO). Sony has focused its efforts on using the chip for video games and other entertainment-related products, while Toshiba has been working to develop Cell-based televisions and consumer electronics. IBM has been concentrating on promoting the high-performance chip for use in computers. (END) Dow Jones Newswires April 02, 2008 13:19 ET (17:19 GMT)