65nm Cell; PlayStation cost controls on the horizon
Monday 05th February 2007, 12:12:00 PM, written by TeamB3D
Last week during Sony's quarter-end earnings call, CFO Takao Yuhara
provided new insight into upcoming cost-cutting measures for the
PlayStation 3, including a move already underway towards 65nm
production for Cell.
Asked by an analyst what Sony was doing to help reduce PS3 manufacturing costs, Yuhara indicated that besides the move to 65nm, the Playstation would be receiving a component update designed to 'reduce the parts' inside of the console. Whether this was in reference to the anticipated removal of the EE+GS chip used to power backwards compatability is unknown, but would certainly make sense. Sony has been working feverishly to perfect their PS2 software emulation; removing the legacy hardware would reduce both chip expense and motherboard complexity. Other potential areas for chip consolidation would be the unification of separate smaller ICs - such as bluetooth and WiFi - into single chip solutions and a change to a more specialized southbridge. Suspected of being Toshiba's 'Super Companion Chip,' the present southbridge occupies a large die area while providing superfluous functionality not presently required by the PS3.
In terms of Cell on 65nm, Yuhara said only that production is presently underway. He did not state explicitly whether chips were being sourced from East Fishkill or Sony's own Nagasaki (or both), but confirmed that die size had been reduced by 40%. PlayStations shipping with the new Cell revision probably won't hit shelves until after the European launch, however, as SCE will wish to work through present supplies before transitioning. Going forward, as primary silicon gets shrunk, and tertiary silicon is removed from the system, PS3 should enjoy a cascading cost-reduction effect. Not only will the cost of the chips themselves go down, but the associated motherboard, cooling solution, and power supply will be able to be 'lightened' as well, as power and thermal pressures subside.
Yuhara indicated seperately that as of December, blue laser diode yields have improved greatly, and he expects 6 million PS3's shipped by the end of Sony's fiscal year (March 31st, 2007) to remain an achievable goal.
Asked by an analyst what Sony was doing to help reduce PS3 manufacturing costs, Yuhara indicated that besides the move to 65nm, the Playstation would be receiving a component update designed to 'reduce the parts' inside of the console. Whether this was in reference to the anticipated removal of the EE+GS chip used to power backwards compatability is unknown, but would certainly make sense. Sony has been working feverishly to perfect their PS2 software emulation; removing the legacy hardware would reduce both chip expense and motherboard complexity. Other potential areas for chip consolidation would be the unification of separate smaller ICs - such as bluetooth and WiFi - into single chip solutions and a change to a more specialized southbridge. Suspected of being Toshiba's 'Super Companion Chip,' the present southbridge occupies a large die area while providing superfluous functionality not presently required by the PS3.
In terms of Cell on 65nm, Yuhara said only that production is presently underway. He did not state explicitly whether chips were being sourced from East Fishkill or Sony's own Nagasaki (or both), but confirmed that die size had been reduced by 40%. PlayStations shipping with the new Cell revision probably won't hit shelves until after the European launch, however, as SCE will wish to work through present supplies before transitioning. Going forward, as primary silicon gets shrunk, and tertiary silicon is removed from the system, PS3 should enjoy a cascading cost-reduction effect. Not only will the cost of the chips themselves go down, but the associated motherboard, cooling solution, and power supply will be able to be 'lightened' as well, as power and thermal pressures subside.
Yuhara indicated seperately that as of December, blue laser diode yields have improved greatly, and he expects 6 million PS3's shipped by the end of Sony's fiscal year (March 31st, 2007) to remain an achievable goal.
Tagging
cell ± Sony
