Middleware is one of the latest buzzwords used in press releases and around the water cooler.
As its name suggests, it is in between at least two things — and in the case of software, it enables (connects) two or more applications to exchange information.
Two popular middleware applications in computer games are SpeedTree and Havoc. In the case of SpeedTree, game developers can use the SpeedTree SDK (kind of like an API) to render foliage in real-time. In theory this cuts development costs and allows each firm to specialize on what they do best (e.g. develop games, or create algorithms which accurately simulate tree growth).
According to a recent report from News.com, this has been taken to the world of massively-multiplayer online games; in the form of Multiverse Networks.
It is an informative read and worth the minute or so it takes to peruse.
It should also be noted that a couple of hardware-based solutions are attempting to fill the middleware void in two markets: physics and AI. The two in particular are AGEIA, which has developed an SDK that simulates life-like rag doll physics in an accelerated fashion through a product called PhysX. The other is a contentious entrant from a firm called AIseek, that is focusing on improving computer-game AI — though it is hotly debated whether the hardware can improve an area that has traditionally been seen as software-sided issue.
[...] In contrast to Intel’s strategy of including potentially hundreds of CPU’s on a single piece of silicon, AMD’s APU strategy involves integrating a mix and mash of specialized accelerators (such as GPU’s, PPU’s and even AI processors) onto one piece of silicon based upon market demand (be sure to look at the diagrams here and here). [...]
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