Sony to abandon the Cell?

Gamespot

reports that Sony is to end its association with the much-hyped but costly Cell processor, handing over the reigns of its future development to IBM and Toshiba.

It had already been confirmed that Sony is to sell its stake in Cell manufacturing plants to Toshiba, at a speculated cost of around $860 million.

Now, Nikkei reports that Sony is in negotiations with both Toshiba and IBM to sell the last elements of its participation in the processor. The firm is currently aiding the research into the 32nm and 45nm versions of Cell that are to replace the existing 65nm chips.

The Cell processor has reportedly cost Sony around $1.7 billion so far.