[Rumeur] Apple et IBM à l'assaut de SGI.

[Membre supprimé 2]

vu dans macbidouille

Nous vous avons démontré hier que Panther pouvait gérer des quantités n de processeurs et des tonnes de RAM.
Plusieurs sources concordantes nous ont confirmé les rumeurs que nous avions déjà eu à ce sujet par le passé.
Apple et IBM se seraient associés pour fabriquer des machines à n processeurs ou n ira jusqu'à 64 G5 ! Le projet est nommé en interne Dark Star.
Chaque processeur aura 4 emplacements mémoire pour une allocation mémoire maximale de 16 Go (lorsque les barrettes de 4 Go seront disponibles). La configuration à 64 CPUs supportera donc jusqu'à 1 To de RAM.
Il sera possible d'installer dans ces machines plusieurs cartes vidéo ATI et de les utiliser en parallèle pour assurer un rendu très haut de gamme.
Des prototypes en 8, 16, 32 et 64 CPUs tournent déjà très bien.
Les machines seront habillées d'un boîtier en aluminium très semblable à celui du G5 si ce n'est par la taille.
La mise en préproduction devrait démarrer le mois prochain, bien que la mise en vente n'intervienne qu'en fin d'année avec Panther serveur.
Les prix iront de 12 000 $ pour la version de base à 8 CPUs jusqu'à 50 0000 $ Pour le haut de gamme avec toutes les options.
Certains trouveront ce projet risqué. Sachez qu'Apple et IBM auraient déjà prévendu des machines à certains clients dont voici quelques noms:
- Industrial Light and Magic
- Raytheon
- General Dynamics
- Genentech
- Amgen
- Pixar
- NASA
Il y a encore d'autres clients comme de grosses administrations américaines.

Mais n'oubliez pas. Ce ne sont que des rumeurs pour le moment.

 

[Yama]

cette rumeur exise depuis un moment...... elle me semble tout à fait crédible.

En revanche, je ne suis pas du tout expert mais il me semble que le PPC970 est prévu pour du biprocessoring au maxi.

donc ce sera pas le 970 ?? non ?

 

[Dark Templar]

C'est vrai que le Power4 semble mieux aproprié au marché, mais à 50 000 $ la machine avec 64 processeurs, ça fait plus très cher par processeur (même pas 500 $ puisqu'il y a aussi la RAM et tout le reste).

Je connais pas le prix du Power4, mais 500 $ c'est plutôt le PPC 970.

 

[melaure]

cette rumeur exise depuis un moment...... elle me semble tout à fait crédible.

En revanche, je ne suis pas du tout expert mais il me semble que le PPC970 est prévu pour du biprocessoring au maxi.

donc ce sera pas le 970 ?? non ?

Il me semble avoir lu le contraire et même que Apple avait déjà testé des cartes mère de PowerMac G5 quadripro.

 

[vonstroheim]

Avant de sombrer dans de somptueux délires, IBM ferait bien de serrer les boulons sinon ça va finir comme Motorola.

IBM's new microchip plant not measuring up
Reuters, 07.17.03, 12:55 PM ET

By Daniel Sorid and Caroline Humer

NEW YORK, July 17 (Reuters) - IBM's new $3 billion microchip factory was supposed to bring the company efficiency and profit. Instead, it is giving the technology leader a headache.

Demonstrating the risk of huge investments in advanced chip-making tools, International Business Machines Corp. (nyse: IBM - news - people) on Wednesday cited production problems at the gleaming chip plant in East Fishkill, New York, as a reason why its microchip business would lose money this year.

IBM shares fell almost 5 percent Thursday, in part because of that disappointing disclosure in IBM's second-quarter earnings released on Wednesday evening. IBM met analyst profit expectations.

In contrast to IBM, advanced chip equipment is easing the way for Intel Corp. (nasdaq: INTC - news - people), the world's largest microchip maker, which this week raised its profit margin target for the year in part because of tools that produce chips with finer features on larger discs of silicon.

The disappointing start at the IBM plant is likely to reignite debate about whether IBM should be in the business of making semiconductors for other companies, Sanford C. Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi said in a research note on Thursday.

"The disappointment in microelectronics is a major executional blunder, and we can't help wonder why IBM did not have a better read on what its customers plans were, or why IBM has experienced a sudden contraction in orders while some other semi players have not," Sacconaghi wrote. He rates the stock "market perform."

IBM's business of producing specialized chips for different customers made efficiency a bigger problem than at Intel, which produces one type of product at its advanced plants, said Chris Danely, an analyst with J.P. Morgan.

"If it's your first time doing something, whether it's making a semiconductor or baking a cake, after the 10th time it's going to be a lot easier," Danely said.

IBM announced plans for a $5 billion expansion in its chip making efforts just as a global downturn in semiconductors began in October 2000. As the downturn took hold, the division began losing money and IBM closed down some older chip-making capacity.

The company stuck by plans for the plant, setting itself up as a competitor to the world's largest contract microchip maker, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. <2330.TW>. It began production this year.

IBM's chip business lost $110 million in the second quarter and is now expected to lose money for the year, in contrast to earlier company predictions for it to add to profits.

Production problems and plant underutilization took away $45 million from IBM's overall profit, Chief Financial Officer John Joyce said on a conference call after IBM's earnings report on Wednesday.

Joyce said he did not expect to see revenue improve in the division until the fourth quarter. The customers who had signed deals to buy specially designed chips from IBM are not ordering "at a rate and pace" that IBM had assumed, he said.

So far this year, IBM has said, it will make specialized chips for Analog Devices Inc. (nyse: ADI - news - people), Nvidia Corp. (nasdaq: ADI - news - people) and Xilinx Inc. (nasdaq: ADI - news - people). It is also making PowerPC chips for Apple Computer Inc.'s (nasdaq: ADI - news - people) PowerMac G5 computer, which is due to ship in August.

The company isn't losing market share to competitors, Joyce said, describing the bad performance as "somewhat of an economic issue."

"We'd like to see the semiconductor industry begin to pick up and we think if the economy begins to pick up, we will benefit from that," Joyce said.

IBM's shares lost $4.06, or 4.7 percent, to $82.68 midday Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange.

Copyright 2003, Reuters News Service