] ANALOGIES are often drawn between the fields of computer ] science and biology. The information-processing abilities ] of DNA are a form of natural molecular computing, and ] computer viruses leap from machine to machine in ways ] reminiscent of their disease-causing namesakes. At the ] International Solid-State Circuits Conference in San ] Francisco this week, a trio of mighty ] information-technology firms%u2014Sony, Toshiba and ] IBM%u2014pushed the analogy a little further. They ] unveiled a much anticipated new computer chip, four years ] in the making, the very name of which is a biological ] metaphor: the Cell. It sounds like Cell is basically a Power core with a bunch of IO and some special units to do PS3 things, etc. Sony/Toshiba/IBM Launch Cell |