Hollywood (graphics chip)

ATI "Hollywood" GPU within the Wii console

Hollywood is the name of the graphics processing unit (GPU) used in Nintendo's Wii video game console. It was designed by ATI, and is manufactured using the same 90 nm CMOS process^[1] as the "Broadway" processor. Very few official details were released to the public by Nintendo, ATI, or IBM. The Hollywood GPU is reportedly based on the Nintendo GameCube's "Flipper" GPU and is clocked 50% higher at 243 MHz,^[2] though none of the clock rates were ever confirmed by Nintendo, IBM, or ATI.

Hollywood is a multi-chip module (MCM) package containing two dies under the cover. One of the two chips, codenamed Napa, controls the I/O functions, RAM access, the Audio DSP, and the actual GPU with its embedded DRAM, and measures 8 × 9 mm. The other, codenamed Vegas, holds 24 MB of "internal" 1T-SRAM and measures 13.5 × 7 mm.

Hollywood also contains an ARM926 core, which has been unofficially nicknamed Starlet.^[3] This embedded microprocessor performs many of the I/O functions, including controlling the wireless functionality, USB, the optical disc drive, and other miscellaneous functions. It also acts as the security controller of the system, performing encryption and authentication functions. The Hollywood includes hardware implementations of AES and SHA-1, to speed up these functions. Communication with the main CPU is accomplished via an IPC mechanism. The Starlet performs the WiiConnect24 functions while the Wii console is in standby mode.^[3]

References

1. "Wiiの概要 (Wii本体)" (in Japanese). Nintendo. Retrieved 2007-01-03.
2. "IGN: Revolution's Horsepower". IGN. 2006-03-29. Retrieved 2006-12-23.
3. "Starlet". Wiibrew. Retrieved 2008-02-20.