Cell broadband engine processor: Design and implementation

Abstract

The Cell Broadband Engine™ (Cell/B.E.) processor was developed by Sony, Toshiba, and IBM engineers to deliver a high-speed, high-performance, multicore processor that brings supercomputer performance via a custom system-on-a-chip (SoC) implementation. To achieve its goals, the Cell/B.E. processor uses an innovative architecture, new circuit design styles, and hierarchical integration and verification techniques. The Cell/B.E. processor design point was also targeted at high-volume manufacturing. To meet high-volume manufacturing requirements, the chip was designed so that it could be completely tested in less than 26 seconds. In addition to the above items, the Cell/B.E. processor was designed with the "triple design constraints" of maximizing performance while minimizing area and power consumed. The initial application was targeted at real-time systems that require high-speed data movement for both on-chip and off-chip transfers. This application also required very high speed compute and real-time response processes. © Copyright 2007 by International Business Machines Corporation.