Sony, IBM, and Toshiba Working on PlayStation 4 Chip?

Sony has big plans for the PS3's Cell chip.

Sony, IBM, and Toshiba have big plans for the PS3's Cell technology.

Reuters reports that the three technology giants have extended their partnership--which began in 2000--for an additional five years. The companies plan to sink additional funds into next-generation chip designs which would be used in consumer electronics and, you guessed it, video games.

The next-gen chips will be extraordinarily tiny, which, in simple hardware terms, means they'll be phenominally powerful. The companies will focus on technology below 32-nanometer die sizes. In comparison, the PS3's Cell chip uses much larger 65-nanometer die sizes.

The announcement is particularly interesting given the five-year timing. Judging by history, it would make sense for Sony to be laying a solid technological foundation for an upcoming PlayStation 4 console. Whether this new Cell successor is actually intended for the PlayStation 4 is pure speculation.

But given the timing, it's absolutely possible.

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