The List10 Most Powerful Computers of All Time
Posted 09/30/08 at 01:45:10 PM by Tom Edwards
Sure, you overclock your rig to the bleeding edge, direct deposit your paycheck to Newegg, and are on the utility company’s watch list because of the blackouts you’ve been known to cause. Yes, you’re a badass power user, but let’s face it, none of your home-built rigs can touch these 10 beasts. So what if half of these machines only exist in the minds of sci-fi writers – their computational prowess transcends the fiction/reality plane, putting our mighty Petaflop age to shame. Peruse this list for inspiration and then get building, you’ve got some catching up to do before you can compete with the real big boys. We won’t settle until our rigs achieve sentience.
NewsGoogle Leaps in Global Brand Value While Microsoft Drops a Spot
Posted 09/19/08 at 10:34:58 AM by Paul Lilly
We've all heard that what goes up must certainly come down (that Sir Isaac Newton was a smart cookie), but what happens when something keeps going up? In this case, you name it Google and ride the financial wave hoping the 'Midas touch' never wears off.
To call Google a search giant is no longer accurate, as it neglects to mention everything else the company has going for it. Now Google can add to its resume as owning the 10th highest brand name value, according to a study by BusinessWeek and Interbrand.
The ranking reflects a big jump from 20th place where Google sat last year. But with a value that has increased 43 percent to $25.6 billion, the company moved way up the chart and now trails just four other technology companies (IBM, Microsoft, Nokia, and Intel). Meanwhile, IBM overtook the second spot on the chart, knocking Microsoft down to third.
Coca-Cola remains in the top spot, but could it be long before Google starts nipping at its heels?
NewsIBM Making Moves Toward 22nm Chips
Posted 09/18/08 at 11:21:12 AM by Paul Lilly
It might not be as well publicized as Micheal Phelps' race to 14 gold medals, but there's another kind of race going on in the chip industry, and that's to see who will be the first to reach 22nm. But it might not be Intel leading the way, and instead it looks as though IBM may be emerging as the front runner.
Unlike the path to 45nm and 32nm, getting to 22nm presents some significant challenges for chip makers, one of which includes getting the circuits "printed" in a process called photolithography. As IBM engineer Subu Iyer notes, "Once the wavelength of light becomes comparable to the size of the thing you're trying to print, things break down. The challenge is to use a light wavelength of 192 nanometers because 'extreme ultraviolet' radiation is still impractical."
Iyer went on to say that in terms of physics, getting to 22nm is a tall order requiring a tremendous amount of computation. To help with that, IBM has developed what it's calling the Computational Scaling (CS) initiative, which includes support from several of IBM's partners. If nothing else, this collaboration puts added heat on Intel, who downplayed IBM's foray into 22nm earlier this summer.
Might IBM beat Intel to the punch? Hit the jump and make your prediction.
NewsIBM Partners with NEC for 32nm Chip Development
Posted 09/12/08 at 05:23:59 PM by Paul Lilly
NEC said yesterday it would join IBM and six other semiconductor companies who are focused on developing new methods of manufacturing 32nm processors. The other six include Charted Semiconductor, Freescale, Infineon Technologies, Samsung, STMicroelectronics, and Toshiba, with the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering at the University of Albany in New York also contributing.
The IBM-assembled alliance is attempting to create chips that use standard, bulk CMOS (complimentary metal oxide semiconductor) technology in the manufacturing process. Benefits of going this route include a 35 percent increase in performance over 45nm parts, while also cutting power consumption in half. The double-whammy would prove particularly attractive for mobile computing.
For its part, Intel is also working on a 32nm design. Chips built on the shrunken process are expected to debut in mid-2009. No date has been set for when IBM and its collaboration of companies will bring 32nm processors to market.
NewsIBM SSDs Set I/O Speed Record
Posted 09/05/08 at 11:30:31 AM by Paul Lilly
Solid state drives (SSDs) are best known for the potential performance gains, but the numbers currently being touted could be just the tip of the iceberg. Engineers and researchers at the IBM Hursley development lab in England and Almaden Research Center in California have taken SSD technology to new heights by demonstrating performance results that surpass the world's fastest disk storage solution by 250 percent.
Using a combination of flash solid-state technology and IBM's storage virtualization technology, the company managed to transfer data at a sustained rate of over one million Input/Output (I/O) per second boasting a response time of under one millisecond. When pitted against the fastest industry benchmarked disk system, the company claims not only was performance improved by 250 percent, but it did so at less than 1/20th the response time and by taking up 1/5th the floor space, all the while requiring only 55 percent of the power and cooling.
NewsIBM Invests $300 Million in Cloud Computing
Posted 08/20/08 at 08:51:23 PM by Pulkit Chandna
Almost all major tech companies covet cloud computing for its immense promise and are vying to popularize cloud computing solutions for plebeians. IBM has made a sturdy claim for cloud computing honors by investing $300 million in it. This happens to be one of IBM’s largest investments in the field.
It will arm 13 data centers with cloud computing infrastructure that will provide cloud computing cushion to its customers in the face of network disruptions or failures. Basically, its clients will be able to access cloud-based computer services when their own networks are down - and even out. So even during network disruptions it would be business as usual for IBM’s clients.
NewsIBM/AMD Announce First Functional 22nm SRAM cell.
Posted 08/19/08 at 02:51:09 PM by Chris Moody
Tom’s Hardware reports that IBM and its chip development partners (which includes AMD), revealed that they beat Intel in creating the first functional 22 nm SRAM cell. Unfortunately 22nm processors are still 3 years out. This will put the pressure on Intel to make sure it keeps its manufacturing lead. Intel presented its first 32 nm SRAM cell wafer last September and is not expected to show 22 nm SRAM cells for another year.
While for the foreseeable future it seems likely that Intel will remain on top in CPU performance, this announcement means that we could be looking at a shakeup within three years unless Intel starts cranking away in research. We can certainly hope for things to heat up in the processor wars again. We don’t want Intel to become complacent about it’s position in the market.
NewsIBM Pushes the Penguin, Dedicates More Support for Linux
Posted 08/07/08 at 01:12:58 PM by Paul Lilly
The Linux community looks to get a big boost of support, as IBM announced at the LinuxWorld Conference & Expo it San Francisco that plans to work alongside several different Linux vendors to help offer middleware through a bevy of distributors. That's bad news for Microsoft, as IBM's new initiative will potentially give previously reluctant companies the confidence to make the switch.
"Linux has always been about choice," IBM inux Director Inna Kuznetsova said during a press conference. "We're providing a well-recognized alternative for the desktop."
Far from being a new flame, IBM has supported Linux and the open source movement for over a decade, and with distros like Ubuntu and SUSE becoming more user friendly, IBM sees the timing as ripe for a major push. The company has set a goal for 2009 to ship its software bundle to select Linux partners and PC makers, though it did not announce which specific PC partners would be involved.
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