PowerPC is a single-chip microprocessor-based IBM Power Architecture, was born in the AIM alliance (Apple, IBM and Motorola Union) hands in 1991, so far 20 years. The original purpose PowerPC processor design is the second choice of Apple, but then quickly extended to all aspects of industrial control, gaming machines, medical and information industries. With the support of IBM's powerful technical strength, PowerPC on 64-bit processor technology (in 2002 PowerPC970) and multi-core processing technology (in 2005 PowerPC970MP) do not fall after people, and has been adopted as the Apple computer in 2005. In addition, it inherited from the Power processor architecture for high-performance advantages also provided the impetus for rapid development. PowerPC is representative of this period of IBM's PPC4XX, PPC74xx, Motorola's PowerQuicc, PowerQuiccII.
Turning point occurred in 2004. Apple's MAC receive suppress the Wintel alliance, declining market share. IBM has no longer willing to maintain its PowerPC product line, so its semiconductor division for independence, becoming an independent company AMCC (now the company APM). Followed, Motorola also made the same decision, Freescale company will be born. Apple obviously does not believe that two independent companies, so in 2005 with PowerPC processors can not meet the demand on the grounds, announced to abandon PowerPC, turned to Intel x86 processors. AIM alliance so far total collapse, and Power.org is an open organization and in 2004 IBM created instead. Since then, Power and PowerPC architectures become two, two different branches of the same instruction set (server and embedded).
Subsequently, ARM processor with its low power consumption and high cost meteoric rise, and gradually invade PowerPC-traditional areas - industrial control and information industry, and even some of the operating system and browser vendors have also announced that no longer support PowerPC. Although no longer in production, but IBM PowerPC processor, but never stop developing PowerPC processors. In 2009, IBM introduced the PPC476FP processor for the embedded space by LSI Corporation introduced the official SOC products ACP3448 in 2010. PPC476FP 45nm technology, only 1.6 watts of power when the frequency of 1.6GHz. Freescale QorIQ also launched a series of products, the 8-core, 64-bit technology, virtualization, and high-speed network data processing into the field. Power.org and its members also in February this year in Spain held MWC (Mobile World Congress), demonstrated its determination to march to the field of mobile computing.
Power.org to show RoadMap 10/16/2009
PowerPC although gradually fade out of public view, but relying on its advantage in processing power and single-chip architecture, still have a strong influence in the field of industrial control and information industry. However, these alone is not sufficient to get rid of the decline of fate, after all, the main chip market has focused attention on the low-power and cost-effective mobile computing chip. No one would put too much human and financial resources on a non-mainstream architecture. Fortunately, Power.org has begun to enter the field of mobile computing force, it might be able to bring another round of rapid development. Earlier, Tsinghua Tongfang has done a MID with Freescale MPC5121e processor. Perhaps grown old PowerPC still have a chance?
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Reproduced in: https: //www.cnblogs.com/EmbeddedLiving/archive/2011/04/10/2011463.html