PowerPC

From AudioLexic

PowerPC is a RISC microprocessor architecture created by the 1991 Apple–IBM–Motorola alliance, known as AIM. Originally intended for personal computers, PowerPC CPUs have since become popular embedded and high-performance processors as well. PowerPC was the cornerstone of AIM's PReP and Common Hardware Reference Platform initiatives in the 1990s, but the architecture found the most success in the personal computer market in Apple's Macintosh lines from 1994 to 2006 (before Apple's transition to Intel).

PowerPC is largely based on IBM's earlier POWER architecture, and retains a high level of compatibility with it; the architectures have remained close enough that the same programs and operating systems will run on both if some care is taken in preparation; newer chips in the POWER series implement the full PowerPC instruction set.

Contents 1 Licensees 2 Products and applications 3 Integrated circuit 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Licensees

Companies that have licensed PowerPC include:

• Altera
• Apple ('A' in original AIM alliance), recently switched to Intel
• Applied Micro Circuits Corporation (AMCC)
• Avago Technologies
• BAE Systems for RAD750 CPU.
• Cisco Systems for routers.
• Culturecom for V-Dragon CPU.
• HCL
• LSI Logic
• Microsoft, for the Xbox 360 processor
• Motorola (now Freescale Semiconductor), as part of the original AIM alliance
• Nintendo for the GameCube and Wii processors
• P.A. Semi.
• Rapport for Kilocore 1025 cores CPU.
• Samsung.
• Sony and Toshiba, for the Cell processor.
• Xilinx for the Virtex-II Pro and Virtex-4 FPGAs.

[edit] Products and applications

Various products and applications related to PowerPC architecture: PowerPC Implementations

[edit] Integrated circuit

Various types of Integrated Circuit (IC) related to PowerPC architecture: PowerPC/Types

[edit] References

• May, Cathy (editor) et.al. (1994). The PowerPC Architecture: A Specification for A New Family of RISC Processors. Morgan Kaufmann Publishers. ISBN 1-55860-316-6 (2nd ed.).
• Hoxey, Steve (editor) et.al. The PowerPC Compiler Writer's Guide. Warthman Associates. ISBN 0-9649654-0-2.
• Motorola. Programming Environments Manual for 32-bit Implementations of the PowerPC Architecture, a 640 page PDF manual. P/N MPCFPE32B/AD .
• IBM (2000). Book E: Enhanced PowerPC™ Architecture (3rd ed.)
• Jeff Duntemann and Ron Pronk. (1994) Inside the PowerPC Revolution. Coriolis Group Books, ISBN 1-883577-04-7
• PowerPC Architecture, an IBM article giving POWER and PowerPC history

[edit] External links

• Power.org
• PPC Overview - an overview of PowerPC processors
• P.A. Semi - Power to Perform
• IBM, Apple, RISC, and the roots of the Power Mac
• OS/2 Warp, PowerPC Edition review by Michal Necasek 2005
• A developer's guide to the PowerPC architecture– From IBM Developerworks.
• A history of chipmaking at IBM– From IBM Developerworks.
• Canadarm - Robotic arm (for International Space Station) with PowerPC controller created by MacDonald, Detwiller & Associates (MDA).
• PowerPC images and descriptions at cpu-collection.de
• Freescale - the creator of PowerPC CPU. Formerly Motorola Semiconductor division.
• Genesi - The creator of EFIKA, Open Desktop Workstation (ODW), Open Server Workstation (OSW), and High Density Blade Server.
• Global Graphics - The creator of Raster Image Processor (RIP) based on PowerPC.
• Maxwell - Radiation hardened Single Board Computer (SBC) for space and military projects.
• PowerPC FAQ
• Momentum Corp. - the creator of Maple PowerPC 970 Evaluation Board.
• Printer Controller - Motorola/Freescale System-On-Chip (SOC) Printer Controller.
• IBM BlueGene - IBM Supercomputer with PowerPC 440 cores.
• Green Hills RTOS For PowerPC List of Green Hills RTOS For PowerPC's customers (Boeing, Ford, NASA etc).
• PowerPC on Submarine US Navy use Linux PowerPC for SONAR System on their Submarine.
• BlackDog Plug-in USB mobile Linux Server.
• Rapport - The creator of Kilocore 1025 CPU.
• Soft3 - The creator of Samantha, a PowerPC motherboard based on AMCC 440EP System-on-chip (SOC).
• Troika - The creator of Amy '05, a PowerPC motherboard based on Tundra TSI-107 chipset and AMD Geode CS5536 chipset.
• Virginia Tech - Supercomputers based on Apple PowerMac and Xserve.
• XenPPC Xen Virtual Machine For PowerPC 970
• YARC - The creator of Raster Image Processor (RIP) based on PowerPC.
• RTEMS real-time operating system
• MPC BDM at hardware-hacking.com - page about BDM (background debug mode) interface for PowerPC single-chip microcontrollers
• Yellow Dog Linux - a PPC-only Linux distro
• OpenSolaris PowerPC Community

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