<![CDATA[Kotaku: Ibm]]> http://cache.kotaku.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/kotaku.com.png <![CDATA[Kotaku: Ibm]]> http://kotaku.com/tag/ibm http://kotaku.com/tag/ibm <![CDATA[Thirty Years of IBM PCs Means 29.9 Years of PC Gaming]]> Today's a special day: The 30-year anniversary of the launch of the IBM PC, a machine created for business that many of us soon discovered made a perfectly wonderful gaming machine. The PC wasn't my first gaming computer (that was a Radio Shack TRS-80), but it was certainly the one that turned me into a gamer. My little 286 wasn't much to look at, but she had it where it counted, and as Sierra adventure games gave way to mind-blowing cinematic simulations like Wing Commander and simple dial-up BBS board games like Trade Wars 2002 gave way to LAN and online gaming from the likes of DooM and Quake, I didn't even have time to appreciate how fast gaming was evolving on our husky spreadsheet machines. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5830324&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Happy 100th Birthday, IBM!]]> As amazing as it may seem for a company we associate with something as modern as computers, IBM was founded on this day, June 16, all the way back in 1911. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5812854&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Watson Is A Machine, And He Will Kick Your Ass At Jeopardy]]> An IBM supercomputer codenamed "Watson" just played two of Jeopardy's greatest human players and emerged the victor. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5733372&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[PC Gaming Week Confessional, Bashcraft Edition]]> We are all over PC gaming this week , but what do we know about PC gaming? Each day, one Kotaku editor will reveal their PC gaming knowledge and share some memories. Yesterday you read about Crecente's experiences, and now? More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5674396&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[IBM Builds Its Own SimCity Game]]> Computing giant IBM will later today unveil CityOne, which is basically SimCity, except IBM made it instead of EA, and the focus is on sustainable cities instead of rampaging UFOs and reticulated splines. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5530375&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[IBM: We'll Keep Making Cell Processors As Long As Sony Needs Them]]> Rumors are circulating today about the death of IBM's Cell processor, which powers Sony's PlayStation 3. Kotaku spoke to IBM about the fate of the Cell and its commitment to the PlayStation 3. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5411248&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Thousands Of Jobs Lost, Very Quietly, At IBM]]> An estimated 4000 IBM employees have been laid off in the last week, as the company adjusts to the current way of the world. Why do we care? Because IBM make a lot of stuff. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5140716&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[IBM: World of Warcraft Is Good]]> It's a seesaw. Somedays playing World of Warcraft is good, good, good. Somedays it's bad, bad, bad. What about today? More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5120455&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[PS3's Cell Processor Powers World's Fastest Supercomputer]]> The United States' nuclear stockpile in Los Alamos will soon be monitored by a powerful computer made out of parts you might have in your living room - the PlayStation 3's Cell processor. Nicknamed the Roadrunner, the IBM-built supercomputer is comprised completely of off-the-shelf components, including nearly 7,000 dual-core AMD Opteron processors and almost 13,000 Cell processors. The machine can process more than one thousand trillion calculations per second, making it twice as fast as the world's current fastest computer, IBM's Blue Gene. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5014620&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Double Fusion CEO Shreds His Way To The Top]]> President and CEO of Double Fusion, Jonathan Epstein put all the other GDC rock gods to shame this week at IBM's Guitar Hero Competition. Epstein won the $1,500 grand prize with his face melting rendition of Eric Johnson's White Cliffs of Dover. According tho the short press release, you can challenge Epstein to an epic battle of the bands by going to Double Fusion's website. I went there myself and didn't really see a place to sign up per se, but I suppose an email will do nicely. Just don't count on wrestling that $1,500 from him. I think the title will be the best you can hope for. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=359984&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[IBM Launching Educational MMO For Teens]]> In an attempt to convince high schoolers that math and science are cool (hey guys, they're not beating down the door to history classes, either), IBM is launching a new, free to play MMO called PowerUp that will challenge players to solve problems involving solar, wind, and hydropower before the environment of a fictional planet is destroyed by mounting crises. Of course, there's more: More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=357315&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[45nm Cell Means Cheaper PS3]]> From 90mm to 65mm to 45mm - IBM has announced details on a smaller, more efficient version of the Cell BE processor, which of course is the brains inside every shiny new PlayStation 3. IBM will soon migrate from the 65nm process currently used to manufacture the chips to their next generation 45nm high-k process, which results in a Cell that requires 40 percent less power, reducing cooling costs while a smaller die means higher yields and a lower overall cost. This gives Sony a choice - reduce the price of the system to increase their install base or just ride the cheaper process for awhile to work up a little profit. Also interesting to note is that once again the shrink comes with no performance tweaks, with IBM citing the need to maintain gaming software operation. In other words, IBM's Cell division is Sony's little bitch. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=353682&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Xbox 360 Could Get 32nm Chips By Late 2009]]> IBM made a major announcement today that they will be offering 32nm chips to their partners in the second half of 2009. This would mean that, yes, the Xbox 360 could get even smaller chips than the 65nm "Falcon" CPUs..or the rumored 45nm upgrade. We're talking power savings of 45% and speed boosts of 30% over IBM's last generation of hardware...it's flat-out better technology that will reduce the propensity of overheating drastically, and maybe even make way for a smaller console. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=331959&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[IBM Announces Business "Game" Innov8]]> Of all companies who develop software, we didn't wake up this morning expecting to hear about a new "serious game" from IBM. Called Innov8 (see what they did with the clever phonetics?), universities around the world have access to download the title to better educate students. So what exactly is the game? We can't quite tell. It looks like The Sims meets some theoretical Office Tycoon. But the goal is to "develop a combination of business and information technology (IT) skills." While it's sure to be at least a small plug for IBM technological solutions and we generally prefer watching our Sims peeing themselves over developing networking solutions, it might beat reading textbooks. Was anyone out there part of 30 university beta? More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=319459&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Cell Architect Addresses Developer Response]]> The Cell has been under fire from a lot of developers for its, well you know the story. Gamasutra interviewed IBM's James A. Kahle, the chip's lead architect. Here's his take on the situation:
Anything besides a single-threaded processor is going to be more difficult...it's the structures that are requiring people to do a lot more up-front planning...Whereas before, I wouldn't say [developers] were lazy, they didn't need to worry about that kind of structures...so there's some adjustment to that, and tools needed, to make that more efficient.
Kahle also stresses that IBM has a very open development system to foster synergy, and that Sony is also doing some work on their own. And then inside his head he mentioned that he really hoped that people would ultimately love the Cell and that his name might go down in history (in the good way). More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=314517&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Second Life, IBM Want Open Source Avatars]]> Avatars are important, but confining. One avatar in one game won't necessary be usable in another. IBM and Second Life developer Linden Labs have joined forces to figure out a way to make avatars interoperable. An open avatar would allow individuals to keep their same basic appearance and data. Says IBM vice president of digital convergence, Colin Parris: More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=309041&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[IBM Making Virtual Worlds Accessible to the Blind]]> Computer accessibility has come a long way since the early screen readers for MS-DOS, and it still has a long way to go - but IBM has decided that being blind should be no hindrance to enjoying virtual worlds, and have introduced a project called Accessibility in Virtual Worlds, aimed at researching at developing methods to make places like Second Life (the researchers actually used Active Worlds, which they described as more flexible for their needs) "more hospitable" to the visually impaired. It sounds like an audible version of old-school text-based adventures: More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=302692&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[IBM Discovers Second Life]]> Shhhhhhhh! Second Life might be getting a bit of a backlash, but don't tell IBM. The computer co. is enamored with SL. It's teh future they say! IBM opened its virtual SL Business Center earlier this spring in order to provide sales and support services. According to IBM director of Global Web Strategy & Innovation Maggie Blayney: More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=292562&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[New Computer Chip Based on PS3 Cell]]> A prototype chip based on the PS3 Cell processor has been developed and will be shown next week in San Diego. The prototype is for computer boards (not the PS3), and it shouldn't come as a surprise as applications for the Cell have been mentioned for some time now. The original chip was developed by Sony, Sony Computer Entertainment, IBM and Toshiba. Called the "Cell Computing Board," this new prototype is the Cell Broadband Engine microprocessor married with the RSX graphics processor, which, according to Sony, goes beyond the Cell chip's power. That's right, a super computer. Fingers crossed for 4D output! More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=285073&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[IBM - MMO Players Can Make Corporate Leaders]]> Eric Lessner is a member of the IBM think-tank Institute of Business Value, and as part of a study collaboration with MIT and Stanford, studied Everquest and WoW players. And he saw the games as excellent preparation for the business world.
For example the ability to bring together distributed groups of individuals - often who are on a volunteer or semi-volunteer basis - to be able to make more rapid decisions under conditions of uncertainty. To incorporate and use different sources of data and make decisions rapidly. To recognise people for their contribution. To be able to motivate.
Chalk up another win for videogames by anonymous expert who is smarter than you, making total the tally: More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=283253&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[MIT Students Use PS3 for Homework]]> The first class in the United States that revolves around the Cell Broadband Engine (the microprocessor that lives in those PS3s) has finished the semester with postive results. MIT and IBM teamed up this year to introduce students to programming with the processor: More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=259401&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Mainframes + Cell Chips = Armageddon]]> What do get when you cross the awesome power of the PS3's Cell processor with the computing juggernaut that is the mainframe computer? Well according to our PR contact, you'd call it the Gameframe, but I think I'm going to call it the Harbinger of the Matrix, Sire of Our Destruction. It has a certain ring, doesn't it? More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=255839&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[IBM Forces Employees To Play Second Life]]>
Use virtual to learn about the real! Big Blue is planning to roll out a new program to teach employees "cultural values, decision-making regimens, and required technical skill sets." Here's the nitty-gritty: More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=214836&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[The PS3 Cell... In Your Friggin Mobile Phone]]>
The heart of the PLAYSTATION 3? A suped-up Cell processor developed by Toshiba, IBM and Sony. A single chip contains a main processor and eight sub-processors to unleash 200G Flops (floating point operations per second) of power. And now Toshiba plans to put that chip in mobile devices. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=205712&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Clips: Broadway Wii Chip Production]]>
We were almost going to make you guys stay up until midnight for this, but cooler heads prevailed. Anyway, according to the YouTube poster, this is actual footage of the Wii Broadway chip being produced. Not that I'd really be able to tell, one way or another: various earnest looking, bespectacled engineers in haz-mat suits wandering around the automated bowels of a huge, building-sized robot all look the same to me. But those more knowledgeable in the CPU engineering process might get a kick out of this. Florian Eckhardt More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=199721&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Wii Chip Shipments Started About 3 Weeks Ago]]>
Frankly, I'm not sure if this is good news, bad news or no news, but IBM confirmed today that they started shipping the brains of the Nintendo Wii for their New York fab plant about three weeks ago. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=199243&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[IBM Working On Portable GameCube?]]>
Okay, Spong claimed that IGN had pulled a leak of all Wii details. That turned out to be crap — a valulable lesson to me in haste when charging forth fully possessed by the throes of a boner over the prospect of a $229 Wii. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=193003&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[A Thought Experiment on PS3 Cell Costs]]>
The 10-20% yield comment from an IBM engineer has brought forth a lot of speculation about the number of consoles Sony is going to be able to produce for launch. They claimed they would have a million available world-wide; estimates say they need around 8 million to satisfy demand. Cell yields might make the derth even greater. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=187998&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[IBM Engineer Says PS3 Yields Not So Good]]>
At what point in beating a puppy clean to death with a sack full of its own hardened excrement does an inhuman like me begin to feel this emotion you call 'pity'? I don't know — that day may never come. But even I, monstrous and morally deformed as I may be, am beginning to feel sorry for Sony. Because now IBM's just flat-out saying that the Cell processor is way too expensive and complicated to make. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=187088&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[IBM: Sony Hard-Asses on Backwards Compat]]> The PlayStation 3 maybe shaped like a Victorian waffle-iron on the outside, but the inside's a different story together. That machine is no simpleton. It's involved. It's complex. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=186332&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Cell Designer Talks PS3]]> H. Peter Hofstee, IBM's chief architect of the Cell processor to be used in the PS3, recently gave a lecture in Austin about designing the Cell and shared some information about the design process of the processor. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=165500&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[The Real Winner of the Next Generation Console Wars]]> Is IBM according to an observant article at The Street. The reason? All three console companies had IBM work on the gaming chips that will power the next generation of hardware. Regardless of who wins the console war, IBM ends up the biggest winner of them all. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=140180&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA["New" 360 Chip Actually "Old"]]> Last Wednesday, Microsoft gave a press conference regarding the Xbox 360's new chip. Co-engineered with IBM, the processor is integral in a CPU that is compromised of three 64-bit PowerPC cores that run at the "highest core speed." Geek-speak sure, but the chip is one of the biggest weapons in Microsoft's next-gen arsenal. More »
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