The heart of the new Playstation 3 is code-named “cell”, dual-core, 64-bit RISC chip based on the IBM POWER chip. Prototypes of this chip run at a clock speed of 4.6 GHz. It is yet unknown whether the PS3 will contain one or several of these chips. In comparison, the current Playstation 2 CPU runs at 300 MHz (1 Ghz = 1000 MHz).

The PS3’s GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) is made by Nvidia, makers of the Xbox graphics hardware. It will be accessible through the OpenGL ES library, which will enable programmers to work in a familiar environment that reduces the development time and costs for Playstation 3 games.

Memory chips (RAM) will be provided by Japanese chip manufacturer Elpida, the world’s fifth-largest DRAM maker. The proposed architecture can utilize up to 256 MB of DRAM per cell chip. It is not yet known how much memory the Playstation 3 will get, as a compromise has to be found between generous memory and cost of the rather expensive DRAM chips. In comparison, the current Playstation 2 console is equipped with 32 MB of DRAM.