With all the hype and publicity surrounding the PowerUP program, it is easy to forget the Amiga is not just making the transition to a PowerPC architecture. Until January 8th 1998, however, thoughts of Amiga using any other CPU were relegated to the realms of rumour, speculation and plain old wishful thinking. Sure, there had been murmurings from various companies - Alpha systems, pre-Escom rumours of HP-PAs, and the debate amongst Amigans about the benefits of MiPS, ARM or even Intel. Though nothing with any real substance.
But no longer! A program to produce Alpha-based Amigas, alongside a port of AmigaOS to the Alpha processor, is now underway - thanks to Siamese. Backed up by the extensive expertise of Access Innovations, Alpha Project is set to take the next generation of Amiga technology onto another exciting platform.
The previous version of this page cast the Alpha in an unfortunately realistic light - an underrated processor with an overrated lifespan. However, there have been sufficient changes in the computer industry to switch this whole thing around. The PowerPC industry has split itself in a very bad way, ironically over the technology which could have launched it into the big league. The Alpha has lost its oppressors, and gained its supporters. The PowerPC is more associated with the Pentium in terms of performance. Meanwhile, the Alpha is lining up as the Merced killer...
Digital's Alpha processor is a RISC chipset, like the PowerPC but fully 64-bit, with a very high performance rating. Though currently more expensive than a PowerPC option, the prices are falling dramatically. Siamese claim to be able to put Alpha Amigas out for the basic cost of an average PC desktop, but with far superior performance. An Alpha Amiga will be a major force to be reckoned with... trust me!
So what is it with this Merced, anyway? Merced is Intel's next step from the x86 line - a 64-bit slab of high performance technology. Merced has the promise of a big family of supporters, including companies looking to ditch their custom CPUs and concentrate on their OS, and even Linux (well, so I've heard) - curiously, not a Microsoft in sight... at least, not yet. With the possibility of Merced soaking up the 64-bit market in the way it did with the 16/32-bit industry, and covering more than just one major OS, it culd be rather worrying for other chip manufacturers.
However, the Alpha has the capability, it also has the benefits of cost (Merced isn't going to be cheap to start with) and time - the Alpha is here and now, the Merced has been delayed yet again and will not see the light of day this side of the millennium. (Well, depending on what definition you use of when the millennium begins!). An Alpha Amiga looks like being something very special...
Siamese have, naturally, arranged the project plan to provide a smooth transition phase from the old to the new, while promoting the project to existing Alpha and ex-Amiga users. Curiously, the idea of attracting existing users of a target architecture, but different OS, is not one which the PowerPC proponents have actively pursued - which is even stranger when you consider how much BeOS has gained from Apple's abandonment of support for CHRP PowerPC clones.
The first stage of the project is already in place, featuring a Siamese system to merge an Alpha workstation with an Amiga. This will gradually be extended to a hybrid Alpha-Access system, supported by "Amiga Forever" emulation software for existing Alpha systems (emulating an A1200 with 68030 @ 50MHz). The idea is to draw back ex-Amiga users while forming links between Alpha and Amiga technology. The Siamese Alpha system currently features:
Soon after, the Access Innovations InsideOut PCI Amiga will be used to form the core of a PCI Amiga featuring 680X0 and Alpha CPUs:
For more information on the Siamese/InsideOut system, take a look at my SiamesePCI Page. Note: this is mainly aimed at the interim Amiga development system - an IBM PC compatible equipped with an InsideOut card.
While 800 MHz Alphas have been quoted, these will be at the high-end of the scale - certainly not the choice of the typical budget user. AmigaOS, Windows NT and MacOS will all be available with the system, to provide a powerful multi-OS environment. While this is going on, work will begin on completely porting AmigaOS to the Alpha system - with the final aim of developing a system in the style of the 680X0-PowerPC hybrids, running native applications on the Alpha and using the 680X0 to provide compatibility with older software. Siamese believe they can achieve an Alpha Amiga system for sale at around $1500 - coming in to direct competition with PCs and the PIOS transAM. At present, the cost of even the Siamese Alpha system (not Alpha Amiga) is almost twice that.
Well, full details are yet to be released - the above information has been taken from the press release and a few minor sources. Porting an OS and constructing new hardware is a tricky and time-consuming effort if the results are to be of high quality, and backwardly compatible. Take a look at the rate of PowerPC development for an idea of what is involved, and how long it can take. The Alpha offers a very powerful platform. I wish Siamese every success with the project and look forward to some stunning systems being unleashed onto the market. If nothing else, it should stir up rival companies into pursuing other CPU lines (ARM? Merced? MiPS?) and offer a welcome alternative to the heavy saturation, and narrow-mindedness, of the PowerPC crowd.
More info as and when I receive it. Stay tuned!
