Mercury Computer Systems is shipping a Linux-based software development kit for IBM's Cell BE and “other multi-core processors.” The company says its MultiCore Plus SDK can complement components of the IBM's Cell SDK, while enabling users to maximize resource usage and application performance.

Mercury's MultiCore Plus SDK 1.0 includes a Yellow Dog Linux implementation for the Cell processor, along with optimized math libraries, and a graphical IDE and debugger based on Eclipse. It also includes Mercury's Trace Analysis Tool and Library (TATL).

MultiCore Plus SDK architecture
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Mercury says a beta version of its MultiCore Plus SDK has been in use since 2005, at customer sites in industries such as aerospace and defense, seismic, semiconductor, life sciences, digital media, and national labs.

Mercury CTO Craig Lund stated, “Programming the Cell BE processor requires a different paradigm for many software developers. [However,] it's a simple extension of our existing multicore capabilities.”

Mercury shipped the first Cell-based computer available outside of the gaming industry in 2005, and has since brought out a Cell-based add-in card. And, it recently collaborated with IBM to develop and market an IBM BladeCenter blade based on the Cell processor.

Availability

The Mercury MultiCore Plus SDK 1.0 is set to ship this month, the company says.

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