New 45nm Cell processor boasts greater efficiency

by Nick Doerr { Jan 30th 2008 at 11:00PM }

What's all this talk about a 65nm Cell processor? That's so 2007! At the ISSCC -- that's the International Solid State Circuits Conference -- Sony is going to unveil its newest creation, the 45nm Cell chip (not pictured above ... it's practically invisible). This form of the processor will consume 40% less energy than the 65nm chip. Sony is working on getting the chip out there, but we've no idea if there are plans to incorporate it into the next wave of PS3 machines. Still, it's very cool to see a chip so very, very small able to do so many, many things.

[via SimplyGaming]

Tags: 45nm, cell, cell-processor, sony

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

roach @ Jan 30th 2008 11:17PM

Sweet!

Can someone give me a list of MUST GET games? I wanna pick up a couple, but only want the cream of the crop.

(I have Ninja Gaiden Sigma)

Hashbrown_Hunter @ Jan 30th 2008 11:20PM

http://playstation.joystiq.com/2008/01/07/ps3-games-to-look-for-in-2008/

Jay @ Jan 30th 2008 11:20PM

Uncharted, PixelJunk Monsters

XanthouS @ Jan 30th 2008 11:27PM

Toss CoD4 and Ratchet on that list!

B1gC72 - PSN: KillaKornbread @ Jan 30th 2008 11:47PM

well if we each get two lol...

Resistance and Warhawk. great games.

(Everyday Shooter too)

Dahk @ Jan 31st 2008 9:06AM

First, you MUST get CoD4 even if you suck at FPS's. Just play it on Recruit mode, and it's guaranteed to be the greatest 8 hours of your life =). Uncharted and warhawk are also must-gets.

And probably Ratchet, but I haven't had time =(. That's next on my list.

And... buy a copy of Lair, if you have loads of spare cash and want to experience the worst implementation of Sixaxis ever. =).

roach @ Jan 31st 2008 10:08AM

I have COD4 on the 360..it is a GREAT game... I am looking for exclusives for the PS3 though... my console of choice is my 360, so if is available on both platforms, I will get it for 360 just because of my friends on Live.

But I am looking forward to MGS4, Infamous, GT5, and Tekken 6! Thanks for the list Hashbrown_Hunter!

danielbank @ Jan 31st 2008 1:23AM

He gave a lot of time to Romney, but the questions were awful. Of course one of the worse questions was courtesy that scorned woman and bitter speech writer Peggy Noonan. With friends like Peggy Republicans do not need enemies. I wonder what her old boss Reagan would have thought that question about Bush destroying the party.
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http://www.vcao.net

Burns11 @ Jan 31st 2008 1:44AM

45 nm refers to the process, specifically in regards to the lithography, not the die size which is what determines the actual size of the final silicon chip.

IIRC the original die size, 90 nm process, was about 1/3 square inches.

Iain @ Jan 31st 2008 4:12AM

Whats in the 40GB currently? It's the newest so far... 65?

topbravo @ Jan 31st 2008 5:14AM

yes

Jmmaroli @ Jan 31st 2008 7:00AM

Isn't the 65 in the US version of the 80GB?

gordon_strange @ Jan 31st 2008 7:26AM

oh and Uncharted, PixelJunk Monsters

recon @ Jan 31st 2008 8:06AM

Ok, help me out guys. I thought Sony does not have there hand it the fabrication of the cell chip anymore. I thought that division was sold to Toshiba and that they will work on the fabrication. Or is that Sony still designs the chip, however, Toshiba is the one that manufactures it now? Clarification please, thanks.

Dahk @ Jan 31st 2008 9:04AM

Yeahp you're right. The cell processor manufacturing was sold off to Toshiba (who ironically backs HD-DVD lol).

As Nick said though, there are no plans to integrate it with the PS3 as of yet, but who knows what the future has in store.

Phizzy @ Jan 31st 2008 9:18AM

That's not ironic.

Faar @ Jan 31st 2008 5:32PM

Toshiba is one of the founding partners of STI; the mother company that developed the Cell processor. The other two are Sony and IBM. That Toshiba also backs HD-DVD is really quite incidental.

Also, Toshiba has long been a partner of Sony's in the gaming business; Toshiba developed the original Emotion Engine processor used in the PS2, and Cell is in many ways a spiritual successor.

Oh, and as already pointed out, "45nm" refers to the 'feature size' of the processor; not its absolute size. If the die actually was 45nm in size it would have basically been impossible to handle and package as it would have been much smaller than even a miniscule grain of dust!

It would also have been impossible to fit the hundreds of solder balls onto the chip that are neccessary to deliver power, ground and I/O to the chip...

Even at 45nm it will be a fairly substantial chip and most definitely visible to the human eye, though obviously much smaller than the original 250-ish square millimeter 90nm Cell used in launch PS3s.

rd2000 @ Jan 31st 2008 12:50PM

wow.. Talk about thread de railment.. :(

Well back to topic!

Wonder if the next generation of PS3 will get smaller :)

Jove @ Jan 31st 2008 2:35PM

so they've been using the 65nm all along and i didnt know? when did this happen

superaktieboy @ Feb 1st 2008 3:12AM

wait.. wasn't this already in the 40GB sku?

Musouka @ Feb 1st 2008 1:30PM

Hahahaaha Nick DoError, "it's practically invisible" XD. That made my day.

Ty @ Feb 1st 2008 5:24PM

Its Summer 2008. Days are long and work is lighter. Sony's exclusives start piling up. People want 'em. Then, they release a smaller, lighter, 'greener' PlayStation 3?

Its not, "will this happen?" No...
"there's no reason this shouldn't happen"

Same with the $299 PS3 thing. They've ... no wait... we've given them profit. I think its time for another reward!