Cell architecture: key physical design features and methodology

ABSTRACT

The Cell Broadband Engine™ is a high performance supercomputer on a chip. It is a 64-bit Power Processor compatible to Power Architecture applications and OS. This heterogeneous multi-core architecture sets a new performance standard for games and multimedia applications. It exploits parallelism while achieving high frequency. With a multi-core design, we are facing several obstacles from architecture, technology to physical design. This presentation will give an overview of the Cell architecture and the challenges we faced. We will also discuss how we addressed these challenges and successfully implemented the Cell Processor.

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  B. Hardware
  B.7 INTEGRATED CIRCUITS
      B.7.2 Design Aids

Additional Classification:
  B. Hardware
  B.8 Performance and Reliability
      B.8.2 Performance Analysis and Design Aids

  C. Computer Systems Organization
  C.1 PROCESSOR ARCHITECTURES

  D. Software
  D.2 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
      D.2.2 Design Tools and Techniques

  J. Computer Applications
  J.6 COMPUTER-AIDED ENGINEERING

General Terms:
Algorithms, Design, Performance