Physics processing unit: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 02:50, 26 June 2022

Revision as of 06:54, 21 August 2022

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It consists of a general purpose RISC core controlling an array of custom [[Single instruction, multiple data|SIMD]] floating point [[VLIW]] processors working in local banked memories, with a switch-fabric to manage transfers between them. There is no [[Cache hierarchy|cache-hierarchy]] like in a CPU or GPU.

The PhysX was available from three companies akin to the way [[video card]]s are manufactured. [[ASUS]], [[BFG Technologies]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bfgtech.com/news_8.31.05.html |title=Archived:::News copyRelease::: |access-date=2011-06-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060426124859/http://www.bfgtech.com/news_8.31.05.html |archive-date=2006-04-26 }}</ref> and [[ELSA Technologies]] were the primary manufacturers. PCs with the cards already installed were available from system builders such as [[Alienware]], [[Dell]], and [[Falcon Northwest]].<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mAIAAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA6 | title=BFG Tech ad for the PhysX |magazine=[[Maximum PC]] | date=May 2006 | page=6 | publisher=[[Future US]] | issn=1522-4279 | access-date=2009-09-16}}</ref>

In February 2008, after [[Nvidia]] bought Ageia Technologies and eventually cut off the ability to process PhysX on the AGEIA PPU and NVIDIA GPUs in systems with active ATi/AMD GPUs, it seemed that PhysX went 100% to Nvidia. But in March 2008, Nvidia announced that it will make PhysX an open standard for everyone,<ref>[http://www.custompc.co.uk/news/602205/nvidia-offers-physx-support-to-amd--ati.html Nvidia offers PhysX support to AMD / ATI] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080313220419/http://www.custompc.co.uk/news/602205/nvidia-offers-physx-support-to-amd--ati.html |date=2008-03-13 }}</ref> so the main graphic-processor manufacturers will have PhysX support in the next generation graphics cards. Nvidia announced that PhysX will also be available for some of their released graphics cards just by downloading some new drivers.