While some chip manufacturers have multiple architectures within a single company under a unified brand, Power Architecture technology offers a unified architecture spanning multiple companies under a single brand.

• The Power Architecture family ultimately descends from the IBM 801, a high-performance RISC chip developed by IBM in the 1970s. Learn more about the past, present, and future of Power Architecture technology in "POWER to the people: A history of chipmaking at IBM" (developerWorks).
• The article "Power Architecture: A High-Performance Architecture with a History" goes into more detail about things like endianness, and how and where (and even why) POWER™ and PowerPC® instructions differ (with the emphasis on the PowerPC side of things).
• For more about the POWER side of things, see this excellent IBM SP Systems Overview write-up from the folks at Lawrence Livermore Labs, as well as Erik Klait's column on "27 years of IBM RISC."
• As is usually the case with Wikipedia, its articles on POWER and PowerPC, on IBM and its products and related topics should not be considered definitive, but they are very often a "good place to start."
• Learn more About Power Architecture from the IBM Semiconductor solutions portal page.

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The 64-bit Power Architecture provides the foundation on which the Cell Broadband Engine Architecture (CBEA) is built. CBEA-compliant processors support 32- and 64-bit Power and PowerPC applications. Cell not only supports the Power Architecture ISA, but it inherits the memory translation, protection, and SMP coherence model of mainstream 64-bit Power processors. CBEA also supports virtualization (logical partitioning), large pages, and other recent innovations in the Power architecture, making it quite easy to port an existing operating system, such as Linux®, from Power to a Cell/B.E. and leverage the Power processor core.

The CBEA extends Power Architecture in several ways:

• Memory flow control introduces "local storage" (or "local store memory") and DMA transactions to move data between local storage and the system memory effective address space.
• It introduces "Synergistic Processor Elements" (SPEs), an autonomous processor that stores its program and data in its associated local storage memory. The SPEs treat their associated local storage memory as private memory, so local storage memory is not coherent in the system.
• DMA transactions can be issued in any of three ways:
  • The DMA command queues and mechanisms can be accessed using memory mapped IO (MMIO), enabling the Power processors and SPEs not associated with the target or source local store to issue DMA commands to or from any local store in the system.
  • The SPE can issue commands associated with a particular local store and DMA unit by using a set of "channel" commands (essentially asynchronous, special-purpose register read and write operations that come in blocking and nonblocking flavors).
  • A mechanism known as the "DMAlist" command where a list of DMA commands is stored in the source or target local store and only a single command is issued to the associated DMA unit to go and process that list.
• The SPEs support a SIMD-RISC instruction set (unlike conventional RISC processors that support separate register files for integer, floating-point, and SIMD data types); that means they support only a single 128-entry, 128-bit unified register file to store all types of data.

Oh, and it was spawned as a collaboration by IBM, Sony, and Toshiba.

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The really interesting (and important) thing about IBM Power Architecture technology is the unique way in which IBM and its partners have come together to make it an open hardware platform. Based loosely on the Linux model (where a cadre of insiders are responsible for maintaining a stable kernel, on which the wider community can base distributions, applications, and so on), the Power Architecture community has formed the not-for-profit organization Power.org™, where a cadre of insiders are responsible for maintaining a stable instruction set architecture (ISA) on which the wider community can base systems, code, cores, and so on.

• Visit Power.org to learn more. You can even become a developer-level member at no cost.
• The Power Architecture ISA has always been open. The ISA and other freely available standards and oodles of documentation have always been publicly available. What the movement to Power.org has done is to take the responsibility of creating such standards and specifications out of the hands of individual companies like IBM, Freescale, and AMCC and put it back in the hands of individuals working from each of those companies, and from other places—all under the common stewardship of Power.org.
• The move to open Power Architecture technology started to accelerate around the middle of 2004. This C|Net interview with IBM's Bernie Meyerson, "Why chip speed is old news," is a good backgrounder.

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Have you been under a rock? It powers the Sony Playstation™ 3 game console (and while I'm at it, Power processors rule the other two latest top game consoles: the Nintendo Wii® and the Microsoft Xbox 360®). It is starting to show up in various hybrid supercomputers, such as the Los Alamos National Laboratories' Roadrunner Cell/B.E./Opteron hybrid and the IBM BladeCenter™ QS21 sports. And there are already third-party boards by Mercury Computer Systems (and even Sony and Toshiba) making their appearances. (Legal disclaimer: "The supercomputer was designed and developed for the DOE and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) under the DOE / LANL project name Roadrunner. The Roadrunner project was named after the state bird of New Mexico.")

Cell/B.E. technology promises to make quite a splash anywhere compute-intensive applications are needed, such as on-the-fly, real-time rendering (games, medical imaging) and complex systems modeling (weather patterns, orbital object tracking, financial market prediction, genetic analysis, pharmaceutical synthesis).

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Power Architecture family members are stealthy chips, and they like to go by many different names. They can be hard to keep track of because they don't all use the Power or PowerPC trademark. The well-known and ubiquitous Motorola PowerQUICC chips are PowerPC, though most chips Freescale makes get names like MPCxxx. The Microsoft XBox 360's CPU, the Sony Playstation 3, and the chip for Nintendo's Wii console are all based around PowerPC, as are the ultra-low-power PWRficient multicore processors from P.A. Semi. Xilinx FPGAs are a hybrid architecture incorporating Power Architecture technology. And many other implementations of Power Architecture technology exist for printers, automobiles, routers, and the like.

• The chips in the POWER line are numbered 1 through 5, with POWER6™ anticipated somewhat soonish. They are found in IBM Systems, including pSeries®, iSeries®, blades, storage products, and more.
• Current-model IBM PowerPC offerings include the 7xx and 9xx lines, as well as cores and other components. The very first PPCs (the 6xx line) have been superseded, and AMCC acquired the PowerPC 4xx embedded line.
• Freescale PowerPC chips often use the PowerQUICC trademark.
• All three next-gen game consoles are based around Power Architecture technology.
• P.A. Semi's PWRficient is based on Power technology.
• Xilinx and IBM worked together to create a hybrid chip family based on the PowerPC.

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The developerWorks Power Architecture zone provides lots of resources on the Cell/B.E. processor, including:

• A library of articles and tutorials on the subject.
• A Cell Broadband Engine resource center with technology downloads, libraries of documentation, and related news and community sites.
• The Power Architecture blog to keep you up on Power- and Cell/B.E.-related news.
• The Cell Broadband Engine forum: one of the most active sources for Q&A I've ever seen. There's even an annotated monthly highlights column called Forum watch.
• The IBM Semiconductor solutions technical library, which hosts a whole "wing" on the subject.
• IBM Redbooks on BladeCenter products, which are in-progress working docs on the nuts and bolts of using the Cell/B.E. platform.
• IBM alphaWorks, sporting an entire research topic site on Cell/B.E. products.
• And, finally, the main IBM.com pages about Cell/B.E. software and hardware.

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The "PC" in PowerPC doesn't mean "personal computer"; it stands for Performance Computing. Now the POWER line of chips is found only in high-performance servers and workstations from IBM, but the PowerPC chips are found in everything from embedded devices to supercomputers (you may already own one, especially if you're a gamer, run a home network, or drive a late-model car).

• Tune in to the developerWorks IBM Systems zone for breaking news and official information.
• Power Architecture technology is also found in IBM printers and storage solutions (those are really big printers, and really powerful storage solutions).
• Some IBM IntelliStation® workstations are also based on Power Architecture technology.
• Power Architecture technology-based solutions fuel many of the most powerful IBM supercomputers.
• PowerPC chips power a variety of embedded devices, from traffic signals to the Mars rovers.
• Contrary to popular belief, IBM mainframes (or "System z™") are not based around Power Architecture technology.

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Where do you think these terms come from? The IBM POWER4™ was the industry's first multicore design way back in 2001 (remember 2001 when the HAL 9000 ran amok?). Before that, the POWER3™ was one of the first 64-bit chips in the industry back in the 1990s (when the West was young). And we've been virtualizing virtually everything on the IBM mainframes since before many of you were born. Afraid of industry buzzwords? We eat 'em for breakfast (and will even happily run all of your Web 2.0 applications for you).

• If you are entirely new to microprocessors, but you would like to learn how they work, then the How Stuff Works article on chips is for you.
• If you are not quite that new to microprocessors, but still want to learn more about them, check out Ars Technica's CPU category for general-interest articles that are useful to expert practitioners, yet still accessible for those climbing the learning curve.
• The IBM Microelectronics Photo Catalog has exclusive pictures of everything from IBM workers in bunny suits, to wafers, and more. They also offer a Semiconductor technology 101 slide show.

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First, no. Raw processor clock speed is no longer as important as it once was in the world of chips (in fact, it was never really all that important in the first place). The Power Architecture-based Cell/B.E. processor beats even the newest x86 chips in performance, hands-down, and the Blue Gene®/L is still at the top of the Top500 list, setting new speed records with satisfying regularity.

• Speaking of the megahertz myth, did you hear about the IBM chip that runs at 350GHz at room temperature (and 500GHz when quite frozen)?
• Nevertheless, judging processors based solely on clock frequency is soooooo 1990s. These days, it's being replaced by much warmer and fuzzier terms, like "performance per watt" and "satisfaction per watt."

As for the niche argument, that too is complicated. On the one hand, x86 gets an awful lot of attention because it's in a lot of desktops. But desktops themselves are a niche market (albeit a high-profile one). Desktops make up just a tiny fraction of worldwide microprocessor sales annually; a much larger majority of semiconductor devices finds its way into things like cars and cell phones and the like.

On the other hand, it's true that things like supercomputers, gaming consoles, UNIX® servers, automotive controllers, routers, and so on could each be considered their own separate markets—and Power Architecture technology and performance dominates in all of those segments. With the flexibility to scale from controllers for elevators and traffic lights to gigantic superclustered supercomputers, you might say that with Power Architecture technology, "one architecture fits all."

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To paraphrase Henry Ford, you can have any flavor operating system you want, as long as it's orange, uh, POSIX!

• IBM AIX 5L™ UNIX operating system is the OS that runs many of IBM's POWER-based servers.
• Other POWER-based servers run Linux: Linux on POWER, of course.
• Still others favor i5/OS®(IBM's successor to OS/400®).
• BSD Unix is also a popular option (note that this links to Wikipedia's BSD article, which includes at the bottom good links to the different BSD flavors.
• If you want POSIX, but not UNIX, you might look at real-time OSs, such as LynxOS or QNX. Some of the real-time OSs available for Power Architecture (both POSIX and non-) include Fusion Embedded RTOS, QNX, LynxOS, and VxWorks. For more information on RTOS Wikipedia is, once again, a good place to start.
• Check out the developerWorks AIX and UNIX zone to learn more about this noble UNIX variant.
• The 2004 Linux Magazine article, "The 'Other' Linux" (free registration required) examines the impact of PowerPC on the Linux community.
• Check out the developerWorks Linux zone.

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Not really. Because we're talking about POSIX, the apocryphal story of a porting effort amounting to "just typing >make" pretty much applies—provided you are working with well-behaved code, of course.

For those developers who favor scripting languages such as Perl, PHP, Ruby, and so on, you should not notice any differences. For developers attempting to write cross-platform Java™, the chip architecture is the least of your worries (snark, snark). And for those among you who stick to solid performers like C and Cobol, a simple recompile really should be enough, be it from one chip architecture to another or from one Power Architecture processor to another (although Power Architecture binaries usually do work just fine from one family member to another, thanks to the stability of the ISA).

If you have to dip into assembly, you will notice a difference, although it's a breath of fresh air if you're coming from a slightly more old-fashioned architecture with few general-purpose registers. The only things you won't be able to easily just run on PowerPC are proprietary, platform-specific languages, such as Visual Basic or .NET (although, even there, projects like Mono might get you the support you need).

• Check out Eclipse, an open-source, universal toolset and IDE.
• The universal and indispensable GNU tools, including, of course, GNU Compiler Collection (GCC), are available for all Power Architecture platforms, including the Cell/B.E. platform.
• And if you are programming for the Cell Broadband Engine processor, you'll, of course, also notice a difference, because it's got so many cores. Check out the Cell Broadband Engine resource center for all of your Cell/B.E. needs.
• IBM XL C/C++ compilers are available for most Power Architecture environments.
• Have you inherited some badly behaved code? The IBM Chiphopper™ initiative might be able to help with debugging and porting.
• Discover the joys of PowerPC assembly.
• Get to know AltiVec (also known as Velocity Engine, also known as VMX), and discover why it can be your very good friend. You can also read the PowerPC Microprocessor Family: AltiVec Technology Programming Environments Manual.
• If you really want to get low-level, check out the PowerPC Compiler Writer's Guide and the PowerPC Microprocessor Family: The Programming Environments for 32-Bit Microprocessors.

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While some chip manufacturers offer desktop processors that are, oddly enough, called "cores," IBM offers you the actual, real core: the basic building block for a processor, just waiting to be customized with your intellectual property (IP) or others'. Cheaper than ASICs, the proven stability of a mature core can shave many a man-hour from design and testing schedules. The Power ISA-compliant design likewise enables easier coding and, in general, speeds your time to market. Of course, ASICs are available as well for when you require truly custom solutions.

• Learn more about PowerPC licensing and about PowerPC processors and cores.
• Learn more about ASICs.
• The micro industry today faces an all-too-common problem: too much complexity and too few people who understand it well enough. Don't let a lack of expertise hold you back. Consultants can do anything from design your whole project, to just testing and verification, to just plain old consulting (and everything in between). Technonics offers everything from core, processor, and bus architecture design to assembly programming. Multi Video Designs offers both training and consulting, as well as prototype manufacturing and design services.
  • TechOnLine and Phoenix Micro offer a broad range of courses from the very general to the very specific.
  • HCL Technologies has opened its own Power Architecture Design Center, which is the first outside of an IBM business line.
  • Speaking of the IBM business line, the boffins at IBM Engineering & Technology Services (E&TS) are also on hand to help on your projects. Their impressive portfolio includes work on medical devices, biometric devices, supercomputers, gaming processors, and more.
• Check the complete list of technology tools and solutions available from IBM and its partners.

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IBM holds thousands of patents in new materials, devices, and design methodologies for microelectronics (and IBM Research just keeps cranking out more every year). Our building 323 at East Fishkill won Semiconductor International's 2005 Top Fab award, and our foundry is recognized industry-wide as a leader in both process and technology. IBM was even awarded the National Medal of Technology for semiconductor innovation. And that's not even to begin to discuss the IBM-Chartered Common Process technology, thanks to which customers have even more choice—and leverage—when it comes to the crucial milestone of finally executing your carefully crafted design. That's what's special.

• Learn more about the IBM Foundry offerings, and check out the IBM Foundry FAQ.
• This article covers the Fishkill, New York facility in more depth.
• Learn more about Common Platform technology from IBM, Chartered, Samsung, and many industry EDA and IP partners.
• This 2005 Semiconductor Reporter article posits many whatifs about the Common Platform technology and Chartered's Fab 7, many of which have since been answered, but the piece is still a good backgrounder.
• Learn more about the technologies IBM has pioneered, including copper interconnects, silicon-on-insulator (SOI), Silicon Germanium (SiGe), strained silicon, and more.

By the way, did you know that it takes US$7 billion to US$8 billion of revenue to support a 12-inch fab? And yet it's fabulous to be fabless, as Xilinx can attest: this Power Architecture technology partner pioneered fabless semiconductor manufacturing back in 1984. And if you are fabless, you couldn't choose a better partner than IBM: in recent years, IBM foundries and technology have been thrown open to outside customers like never before, while Common Platform technology from IBM, Chartered, and Samsung offers design enablement and cross manufacturing on broadly supported CMOS process technologies.

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First, read every article posted to the developerWorks Power Architecture zone. Then, read them again. (Good, that will get our page view statistics nice and high -- thanks!) Next, explore some of the following resources:

• Keep an eye on the Power Architecture editors' notebook blog for links to workshops and other training events such as developerWorks briefings.
• You can take Linux-based POWER5™ servers for a test drive, thanks to the OpenPower™ project.
• Some of the companies mentioned already, specifically Multi Video Designs, Phoenix Micro, TechOnLine, and Technonics, offer third-party training in Power Architecture technology.
• Power.org offers a thing called the Power Application Center (PAC). There is only one right now, but it seems implied that more will come.

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The most important thing you can do is check the developerWorks Power Architecture technology zone several times each day! Just kidding. (Not really.) Add some of these fine sources to your online repositories:

• The IBM Journal of Research and Development is one of our favorites. While it focuses on both software and hardware, it has featured lots of semiconductor-themed issues of late. Also check out its sister pub, the IBM Systems Journal.
• The indispensable IBM Semiconductor solutions technical library includes a section devoted entirely to Power Architecture technology topics.
• Our favorite trade pubs include the EE Times, Reed Electronics Group's Semiconductor International and Electronic News, and CMP's embedded.com.
• Our favorite community sites include Slashdot, The Register, and Linuxdevices.com (technically, this last is Ziff-Davis, but it feels like a community site).
• Freescale and Apple both have extensive libraries of technical papers. Now that Apple has switched to x86 chips, we have received reports that some of their Power Architecture-related papers are slowly disappearing. If this happens to you, you can try to find an archived copy of them with the Wayback Machine.

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Blue. Big blue.

This NEWTO is a living, breathing document that is regularly updated. Let us know if there's something you'd like to see us add.

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