IBM and Sony have released technical specifications for their forthcoming Cell processor; which will be at the heart of the forthcoming Playstation 3.

The 64-bit processor has been in development by IBM, Toshiba and two Sony divisions for four years and is expected to outperform its rivals due to having eight processors crammed onto a single piece of silicon. It supports multiple operating systems, including Linux, and has been designed with broadband in mind.

"IBM and its partners are committed to providing the development and open source communities with comprehensive, early access to the Cell Broadband Engine architecture and to encouraging those exploring the infinite possibilities of Cell," said Jim Kahle, IBM Fellow.

"We strongly support an environment that removes virtually all barriers to building innovative applications based on Cell."

The documents are designed to encourage developers to write software for the processor. In particular, they highlight the tools for fast graphics and media handling and C and C++, Application Binary Interface, and Assembly languages.

"The release of these technical documents is important for our customers, allowing them to see for themselves how the Cell Broadband Engine and its superb capabilities can support them in developing breakthrough applications," said Mitsuo Saito, chief fellow at Toshiba Corporation Semiconductor Company.

"We will now reinforce our support for Cell with solution proposals based on combining Cell with other resources we have developed, including the 'Super Companion Chip' dedicated peripheral LSI, software, reference sets and system development environment. These tools will allow our customers to create powerful, remarkable systems."

Toshiba is the only member of the group not to release technical specifications as yet, saying it is waiting until it has full customer support in place.