Playstation 3 Cell chip

Sony, IBM and Toshiba, have been working together on the development as the “Cell consortium”, on a microchip - referred to as the Cell - with specific design architecture for handling the detailed graphics demands of games, films, and broadband.

This is the same chip that Sony apparently intends to power the Playstation 3, which has been in development since 2001.

According to a BBC report: First look at PlayStation 3 chip

IBM said it would start producing the chip in early 2005 at manufacturing plants in the US. The first machines off the line using the Cell processor will be computer workstations and servers.

A working version of the PS3 is due to be shown off in May 2005 but a full launch of the next generation console is not expected to start until 2006.

As well as being inside the PlayStation 3, the chip will also be used inside high-definition TVs and powerful computers.