| PowerPC gains unified ISA, common spec for Linux designs |
Jul. 24, 2006
 IBM, Freescale, and other Power Architecture Advisory Council (PAAC) members plan to release a new "unified" Power instruction set architecture (ISA) this quarter. Meanwhile, Power.org has released a new branding program, and plans to ship a new "platform architecture specification" aimed at simpler Linux-based reference designs.
The spate of Power.org announcements came this week at the Freescale Developer's Conference in Orlando, and at the Design Automation Conference in San Francisco. Power.org also announced five new members this week.
New ISA
The new Power ISA 2.03 due this quarter appears to be an effort to make Power more coherent and consistent across the various industry sectors where it is popular. Great consistency will benefit software and device developers, Power.org says.
In addition to a new, unified architecture, Power ISA 2.03 will include previously available capabilities that include virtualization, variable length encoding, and "AltiVec" vector engines, according to Power.org.
IBM and Freescale first announced plans to create a more unified Power architecture in February, when Freescale joined Power.org.
New "platform architecture specification"
Also this quarter, Power.org expects to deliver its first "Power Architecture Platform Reference" (PAPR), described as a "specification and reference design" aimed at "providing the foundation for rapid development of standard Power Architecture platforms based on the Linux operating system."
Details are sketchy, but PAPR appears to follow in the footsteps of PReP (PowerPC Reference Platform), CHRP (common hardware reference platform), and possibly other cross-vendor initiatives to create a standard PowerPC bootloader. Drafts of the PAPR specification are available only to members; however, a Power.org forum thread about it can be found here.
Roland Hagan, Power.org chairman, stated, "Less than 18 months after Power.org was formed, it is delivering key new Power Architecture open hardware specifications."
Marketing announcement
Power.org also unveiled a new Power brand that includes a stylized, vaguely Escher-esque "P" and the word "Power" in simple sans serif letters. Power.org members are encouraged to adopt the new logo and various branding guidelines, in order to promote brand unity. However, Power.org acknowledges that some licensees will continue to use "PowerPC" instead of the new "Power" brand.
New Power.org members
The five new Power.org members include:- EVE -- a provider of hardware-assisted ASIC/SoC verification tools
- Oki Data Americas -- which markets PC peripheral equipment such as digital color and monochrome printers, serial impact dot matrix printers, multifunction products, and fax machines
- CodeSourcery -- a provider of open source project management and software design and engineering services to clients that include Wind River and the Air Force Research Laboratory
- CSIP (Ministry of Information Industry Software and Integrated Circuit Promotion Center) -- a company that promotes China's software industry in international markets
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) -- a venerable Chinese University best-known for science and technology
Power.org is a community organization formed in December of 2004, shortly after IBM announced a "Linux-like" open governance model for its "Power" architecture, formerly known as "PowerPC."
Power.org claims that Power has the "broadest, most diverse market penetration of any microprocessor," noting the architecture's success in gaming consoles, enterprise servers, automotive systems, wireless and wireline infrastructure, and enterprise routing and switching.
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