IBM Opens the Gates of Power

by Anton Shilov
04/01/2004 | 12:27 AM

International Business Machines has once again proved its uniqueness by allowing some of its partners to co-develop and tune versions of its Power processors for particular needs.

IBM today outlined plans to openly collaborate and build a community of innovation around its Power microprocessor architecture used in a vast range of products from the world’s most powerful enterprise systems and supercomputers to games and embedded devices. The move could have major implications for computers and the electronics industry at large. This unprecedented step by IBM is designed to create a platform for innovation that enables researchers and electronics makers to add the features and capabilities that will drive new devices and applications. The move recognizes the fact that it is the final chip designs – more than the underlying architecture – where innovation is taking place to create entire systems in silicon, not just electronics components.

There will be a number of strategic steps to expand the Power Architecture presence on the market:

• Broadening access: through expanded licensing, with Sony announced as the newest Power licensee;
• Encouraging innovation: jumpstarting a new open community with new services centers and new, no-charge design tools;
• Opening development input: by exploring an open governance model to guide the future of Power Architecture;
• Expanding manufacturing options: enabling chip foundries to manufacture Power chips.

To further support its customers and partners, IBM will also:

• Create a portal for the Power Architecture community. This portal is the first step in building a broader community around the Power Architecture, providing a place to gather, find resources and begin establishing a governance model to help guide future directions for innovation and collaboration.
• Introduce the Power Architecture Pack. The pack is a no-charge evaluation kit that lets designers create custom Power chips in a simulation environment. It can be downloaded at no charge from an IBM Web site and allows engineers to simulate a system-on-chip design based on their own intellectual property coupled with a Power processor.
• Establish worldwide Power Architecture Centers to provide customer design assistance for Power chips, cards and systems. (Initially this support will be available from IBM design engineers with an intent to add third party expertise through a certification process).
• Launch an innovative software technology to help customers integrate custom chip and packaging design technology. This “tool kit” will be available to IBM customers at no charge and consists of three main elements: a graphical interface for chip designers, an optimized package design tool and a verification tool to help ensure that the final package design matches the chip designers specifications. 

A number of customers, namely Sony, L-3 Communications and Global Brands Manufacture Group (China) already confirmed plans to customize Power processors according to their needs.

Availability of different Power processors is very likely to broaden IBM’s foothold on the market of consumer electronics as well as various computers, including desktops, notebooks and even handhelds. In case hardware designers take IBM’s Power afloat, they are likely to support development of software for the architecture, which may mean a serious eventual punch for the x86 as well as other "worlds", such as IA64 and SPARC.