Codeplay Software have announced the upcoming launch of a advanced new set of programming tools to help coders unlock the full power of Cell Broadband Engine™ powered devices.  Codeplay Offload™:  Community Edition is scheduled for release this September.

Based on Codeplay’s Sieve™ and Call Graph Duplication Technology, the Offload tool suite provides a C++ compiler and multi-core runtime library.  Offload also boasts a fully featured source-level debugger and IDE integration is provided by plug-ins for Microsoft Visual Studio and Eclipse.  Codeplay have stated that Codeplay Offload™:  Community Edition will be available for developers to download and use for free.

Codeplay’s approach to Cell programming using Offload is to mark the section of source code to be offloaded to an SPU, and the compiler then migrates, duplicates, or transforms code for the correct processor core and memory space.  The Offload compiler and runtime automatically handles the scheduling and data movement on the SPU’s.

 “We’ve spent a lot of time talking to games developers and carefully examining their code, and finding out just what tools will actually be useful to them.” said Andrew Richards, Managing Director of Codeplay.

“When you have a complex piece of software like a video game, you need to be able to specify which part of your program you want to accelerate on an SPU, such as an A.I. routine.  With Offload you can simply do that without having to deal with complex memory-management problems or worrying about the differences in the hardware.”

Andrew and his team are confident that Offload will prove to be the leading tool for writing real-world applications and games for Cell Broadband Engine™.

Offload is being offered up to games developers working on titles for PlayStation®3 and researchers using Cell Broadband Engine™ based accelerators and hardware running Linux.  Codeplay will be making downloads of both solutions available during September and have opened registrations on the Offload Community website http://offload.codeplay.com.

About Codeplay

Codeplay is software compiler technology company based in Edinburgh, UK. Codeplay aims to be the supplier of choice for developers of parallel processing, reconfigurable and network processing devices who need custom-built compilers which are optimised for their devices.

Codeplay was formed in March 2002 and its first product was launched in July 2002.  In December 2000 Codeplay received ‘seedcorn’ funding from Jez San, the founder of Argonaut Games and ARC International. Jez is considered a 'founding father' of the computer games industry, having written one of the very first 3D games. Jez remains a significant shareholder in Codeplay.

Codeplay have a global client base, servicing customers in the USA, Japan and EU.

Further information on Codeplay is available at www.codeplay.com .

Contact Information

Scott McKenzie, Technical Marketing

Codeplay Software Limited

Telephone: 0131 466 0503

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Address:   45 York Place, Edinburgh EH1 3HP

Web:  www.codeplay.com

“PlayStation” is a registered trademark, and “Cell Broadband Engine” is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.