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The past life of Powerpc architecture
The PowerPC architecture is a processor architecture based on reduced instruction set computers (RISC). It was originally developed by IBM, Motorola and Apple to provide high performance and scalability for PCs, workstations and servers.
The PowerPC architecture was first introduced in 1991 and later became the main processor architecture for Apple's Macintosh computers. It was used in Apple computers from 1994 to 2006, after which Apple switched to processors based on the x86 architecture.
The design of the PowerPC architecture focuses on performance, low power consumption and scalability. It uses technologies such as pipeline execution, superscalar execution and out-of-order execution to improve instruction execution efficiency. PowerPC architecture also supports multi-level cache and high-speed buses to speed up data transfer and access.
The PowerPC architecture has good cross-platform compatibility because its instruction set is unified. This means that programs compiled on different PowerPC processors can run on various PowerPC systems without recompilation. This brings convenience to software developers and users.
In the world of workstations and servers, PowerPC architecture was once a popular choice. It excels in areas such as high-performance computing, scientific computing, and graphics processing. However, with the continuous development of the x86 architecture and the increase in market share, the PowerPC architecture gradually lost its competitiveness.
Despite this, the PowerPC architecture still exists and is still used in certain fields and specific applications. For example, it is used in some embedded systems, network equipment, and game consoles.
PowerPC architecture has been widely used in many products. Here are some well-known products using PowerPC architecture:
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Apple Macintosh computers: From 1994 to 2006, Apple's Macintosh computers used PowerPC processors. These computers include iMac, Power Macintosh and PowerBook series.
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IBM RS/6000 and IBM System p: The RS/6000 workstation and System p server series launched by IBM use PowerPC processors. These products provide high performance in areas such as scientific computing, engineering design, and enterprise-level applications.
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Amiga 4000 and AmigaOne: The Amiga computer was a very popular home computer in the 1980s and 1990s. The Amiga 4000 and AmigaOne series use PowerPC processors to provide users with a powerful multimedia and gaming experience.
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Sony PlayStation 3: The PlayStation 3 game console uses a Cell processor based on the PowerPC architecture. The console attracted a lot of attention when it was released and became a huge success in the gaming community.
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Nintendo GameCube and Wii: Nintendo's GameCube and Wii game consoles also use PowerPC architecture processors. These consoles have achieved great success in the gaming market and are loved by a large number of players.
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Nokia 770 Internet Tablet: Nokia 770 is an Internet tablet device released in 2005. It is equipped with the TI OMAP 1710 processor of PowerPC architecture. The device is designed to provide Internet browsing, email, music playback and more.
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Nokia N800 and N810 Internet Tablets: Nokia N800 and N810 are the follow-up products of Nokia 770, which also use the TI OMAP processor of PowerPC architecture. They are Linux-based mobile internet devices that offer more features and improved performance.
For a while, PowerPC was a huge success. Motorola's 68000 series chips are at the heart of Apple PCs as well as many varieties and millions of embedded controllers. In addition to Apple, Sony's PlayStation 3, Nintendo's Wii, Wii U, GameCube, Microsoft's Xbox 360 and 3DO M2 all use PowerPC processors.
this life
In 2005, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs announced that Apple would switch to Intel processors. When Apple gave up on PowerPC, they didn't lose a lot of customers in terms of numbers, but they lost their most prestigious customers. Then gaming consoles gave up on PowerPC, and so did typical embedded systems.
Licensing processor IP was all the rage in the 1990s and early 2000s, and was the surest path to mass adoption. In fact, from the beginning, IBM followed the example of ARM, MIPS, SPARC and other architectures and took the PowerPC licensing route. But IBM's terms are too harsh, and PowerPC licenses are much more expensive than MIPS or ARM licenses. The main reason why PowerPC failed to gain popularity in the market is that 开放不足of IBM 高价授权费. After the smartphone era, PowerPC was gradually marginalized due to cost issues.
On February 28, 2005, the Center for Software and Integrated Circuit Promotion (CSIP) of the Ministry of Information Industry and Freescale Semiconductor Corporation (Freescale) jointly announced that they would jointly build a CSIP-Freescale Linux system laboratory in Beijing to support the national software and integrated circuit public Construction of service platform. In this cooperation, Freescale and third-party partners will provide the laboratory with development boards and workstations based on PowerPC processors.
Suzhou Guoxin Technology Co., Ltd. was established in 2001. Under the guidance of the Ministry of Information Industry, Suzhou Guoxin accepted Motorola's advanced low-power, high-performance 32-bit RISC embedded CPU M*Core technology and design methods in 2010. Received IBM's more advanced PowerPC technology. According to the technology transfer agreement between IBM and Suzhou Guoxin Technology, IBM agreed to transfer PowerPC embedded CPU technology to China. This is also the first time that IBM has officially licensed PowerPC technology to Chinese companies, and Chinese companies can develop on this basis. Innovative research and development, and technological achievements are owned by Chinese enterprises.
Based on PowerPC's instruction set and architecture , Suzhou Guoxin develops high-end embedded C Core CPUs as a starting point. After years of development and independent innovation, the company has successfully developed C0, C200, C300, C400, C2000, C8000, C9000, etc. 7 series and 43 models of high-performance embedded CPU series. More than 80 SoC chips have been designed based on the C Core core, and have been verified and produced on process lines such as SMIC, HHNEC, UMC/Hejian, Grace and TSMC. A series of technologies based on C Core CPU and design platform are widely used in information security, smart grid, financial security, e-government, industrial control, office automation and other fields. In 2018, more than 100 million SoC chips with embedded C Core CPU were put into mass production.
What is powerpc?
PowerPC ( Performance Optimization With Enhanced RISC – Performance Computingsometimes referred to as PPC) is a reduced instruction set (RISC) architecture central processing unit (CPU). The PowerPC architecture is scalable, convenient and flexible, and has very strong embedded performance because it has excellent performance , lower energy loss and lower heat dissipation. Aside from integrated I/O like serial and Ethernet controllers, the embedded processor differs significantly from desktop CPUs. Powerpc chips are widely used in network communication applications, industrial control applications, home digitalization, network storage fields, military fields, power system control, etc. due to their excellent performance, high degree of integration and technologically advanced features.
What is the difference between PowerPC and ARM?
1. High integration and technological advancement. Now PowerPC processor integrates USB, PCI, DDR controller, SATA controller, Gigabit Ethernet port controller, CAN controller, RapidIO and PCI_Express controller, IEEE1588 communication protocol, and supports various A variety of communication protocols CPM coprocessor, DMA, SPI, I2C.UART, etc., customers do not need to design complex peripheral circuits, reducing design complexity and material usage, which ARM cannot compare with.
2. A wide range of chip options, high performance, and easy upgrades. There are processors from 50M to 1.7G, and POwerPC will develop like a multi-core processor. For example, MPC8572 with integrated dual e500 core has been launched, with MIPS performance as high as 6897. I think ARM There is no one with a frequency of 1G. ARM is about 1.1 MIPS/MHz, and Power Architecture is greater than 2.0MIPS/MHz. Therefore, PowerPC accounts for a large proportion of high-end embedded applications, and ARM cannot compare with it.
3. In terms of price, PowerPC processors are more expensive than ARM, but in terms of MIPS/MHz performance comparison and integrated peripheral circuits.
4. The structure of PowerPC, especially in terms of power consumption, may result in it not being as scalable as ARM in the embedded field.