I look forward to Cell v4 with 128 quad precision SPUs and a full featured 8 core PPU, able to stand alone as a CPU on a mainstream motherboard with SATA, SAS and 4 x PCIe16 electrical slots.

I'll be wanting to see optimized PPC Linux and Win64 distro to run on that platform too.

However, I've been drinking this evening.

Sun is out in the cold relying on TI who has announced they will exit the fabrication business.

If developing smaller process costs really exceeds an individual company's possibilities, this is a good option. I prefer them teaming up over having intel (or any single commercial entity) left as the only one researching into the topic.

RE: Good idea

It would be so cool if IBM brought the Cell into a linux computer, or better yet, Windows 64-bit. or maybe as a add-on card. Since games are moving to ray traced rendering, IBM could really nab some market share. I think they'd have to add some more specific ray tracing functionality, but just imagine :) Since the Cell was designed from the ground up to scale with more cores, a gamer could have a seriously powerful setup. If IBM masters optical chip interconnects, it would really be fun.

Perhaps the next step is for nVidia to acquire AMD, then merge into a close partnership or sub-company of IBM. That would give Intel an run for their money. Unfortunately, word has it that the nVidia CEO is too arrogant and blind to see any such possibilities.

Re: the real loser is Sun

Sun still exists? ;-0 heh. They need to give it up. What little valuable technology they have left should be folded into a bigger cause.