Editing Cell (processor) (section)

===Open source software development===
In 2005, patches enabling Cell support in the Linux kernel were submitted for inclusion by IBM developers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bergmann |first=Arnd |date=June 21, 2005 |title=ppc64: Introduce Cell/BPA platform, v3 |url=https://lkml.org/lkml/2005/6/21/390 |access-date=March 22, 2007}}</ref> Arnd Bergmann (one of the developers of the aforementioned patches) also described the Linux-based Cell architecture at [[LinuxTag]] 2005.<ref name="linuxtag">{{Cite web |title=The Cell Processor Programming Model |url=http://www.linuxtag.org/typo3site/freecongress-details.html?talkid=156 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051118073736/http://www.linuxtag.org/typo3site/freecongress-details.html?talkid=156 <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date=November 18, 2005 |access-date=June 11, 2005 |website=LinuxTag 2005}}</ref> As of release 2.6.16 (March 20, 2006), the Linux kernel officially supports the Cell processor.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shankland |first=Stephen |date=March 21, 2006 |title=Linux gets built-in Cell processor support |url=http://news.cnet.com/2100-7344_3-6052314.html |access-date=March 22, 2007 |website=CNET}}</ref>

Both PPE and SPEs are programmable in C/C++ using a common API provided by libraries.

[[Fixstars Solutions]] provides [[Yellow Dog Linux]] for IBM and Mercury Cell-based systems, as well as for the PlayStation 3.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Terra Soft to Provide Linux for PLAYSTATION3 |url=http://us.fixstars.com/news/2006/2006-10-17.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090330150430/http://us.fixstars.com/news/2006/2006-10-17.shtml |archive-date=March 30, 2009}}</ref> Terra Soft strategically partnered with Mercury to provide a Linux Board Support Package for Cell, and support and development of software applications on various other Cell platforms, including the IBM BladeCenter JS21 and Cell QS20, and Mercury Cell-based solutions.<ref>[http://www.terrasoftsolutions.com/products/mercury/intro.shtml Terra Soft - Linux for Cell, PlayStation PS3, QS20, QS21, QS22, IBM System p, Mercury Cell, and Apple PowerPC] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070223120949/http://www.terrasoftsolutions.com/products/mercury/intro.shtml |date=February 23, 2007 }}</ref> Terra Soft also maintains the Y-HPC (High Performance Computing) Cluster Construction and Management Suite and Y-Bio gene sequencing tools. Y-Bio is built upon the RPM Linux standard for package management, and offers tools which help bioinformatics researchers conduct their work with greater efficiency.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 31, 2007 |title=Y-Bio |url=http://www.terrasoftsolutions.com/products/y-bio/programs.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070902135012/http://www.terrasoftsolutions.com/products/y-bio/programs.shtml |archive-date=September 2, 2007 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> IBM has developed a pseudo-filesystem for Linux coined "Spufs" that simplifies access to and use of the SPE resources. IBM is currently maintaining a Linux [[kernel (operating system)|kernel]] and [[GNU Debugger|GDB]] ports, while Sony maintains the [[GNU toolchain]] ([[GNU Compiler Collection|GCC]], [[GNU Binutils|binutils]]).<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 25, 2005 |title=Arnd Bergmann on Cell |url=http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/power/library/pa-expert4/ |publisher=IBM developerWorks}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gschwind |first=Michael |last2=Erb |first2=David |last3=Manning |first3=Sid |last4=Nutter |first4=Mark |date=June 2007 |title=An Open Source Environment for Cell Broadband Engine System Software |url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/4249810 |journal=IEEE Computer |volume=40 |issue=6 |pages=37–47 |doi=10.1109/MC.2007.192}}</ref>

In November 2005, IBM released a "Cell Broadband Engine (CBE) Software Development Kit Version 1.0", consisting of a simulator and assorted tools, to its web site. Development versions of the latest kernel and tools for [[Fedora Linux|Fedora Core]] 4 are maintained at the [[Barcelona Supercomputing Center]] website.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Linux on Cell BE-based Systems |url=http://www.bsc.es/projects/deepcomputing/linuxoncell/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070308121821/http://www.bsc.es/projects/deepcomputing/linuxoncell/ |archive-date=March 8, 2007 |access-date=March 22, 2007 |publisher=Barcelona Supercomputing Center}}</ref>

In August 2007, Mercury Computer Systems released a Software Development Kit for PlayStation 3 for High-Performance Computing.<ref>{{Cite press release |title=Mercury Computer Systems Releases Software Development Kit for PLAYSTATION(R)3 for High-Performance Computing |date=August 3, 2007 |publisher=[[Mercury Computer Systems]] |url=http://www.mc.com/mediacenter/pressrelease.aspx?id=10454 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070818062554/http://www.mc.com/mediacenter/pressrelease.aspx?id=10454 |archive-date=August 18, 2007}}</ref>

In November 2007, Fixstars Corporation released the new "CVCell" module aiming to accelerate several important [[OpenCV]] APIs for Cell. In a series of software calculation tests, they recorded execution times on a 3.2&nbsp;GHz Cell processor that were between 6x and 27x faster compared with the same software on a 2.4&nbsp;GHz Intel Core 2 Duo.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 28, 2007 |title="CVCell" - Module developed by Fixstars that accelerates OpenCV Library for the Cell/B.E. processor |url=http://www.fixstars.com/en/company/press/20071128.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100717014736/http://www.fixstars.com/en/company/press/20071128.html |archive-date=July 17, 2010 |access-date=December 12, 2008 |publisher=Fixstars Corporation |df=mdy-all}}</ref>

In October 2009, IBM released an [[OpenCL]] driver for POWER6 and CBE. This allows programs written in the cross-platform API to be easily run on Cell PSE.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 2, 2023 |title=IBM Releases OpenCL Drivers for POWER6 and Cell/B.E. |url=https://www.khronos.org/news/permalink/ibm-releases-opencl-drivers-for-power6-and-cell-b.e/ |website=The Khronos Group |language=en}}</ref>