news.cnet.com
Transmeta shoots for 700 MHz with new chip
By Stephen Shankland
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
January 19, 2000, 10:15 a.m. PT
SARATOGA, Calif.--The highly secretive start-up Transmeta today finally unveiled its technology plans and made it clear that it aims to compete against chip giant Intel.
At a company conference here, Transmeta said that it will come out with two different processors for distinct classes of devices. The first, a low-power chip called the 3120, will run at about 400 MHz and go into handheld devices and Internet appliances running Linux, said Steve Johnson, head of software operations at Transmeta.
A second chip, called the Quote Snapshot 5400, will run at between 500 MHz and 700 MHz and include a 250-MHz secondary cache integrated into the chip. This chip will be targeted at Windows-based notebook computers. Combined with its "long-life" power management technology, the 5400 will run on one watt of power. Users will be able to run their notebook all day on batteries, Johnson said.
The new chips make it clear that Transmeta is both trying to capitalize on some of the shortcomings of Intel's processors while avoiding the mistakes made by processor companies that have tried and failed to break into this market.
The 3120 is in production, while prototypes of the 5400 are being created now in preparation for a market release toward the middle of the year, Johnson added. IBM will manufacture the chips.
The 3120 will be made on the 0.22-micron manufacturing process while the 5400 will be made on the more advanced 0.18-micron process. Both chips will use a combination of hardware and software to emulate an Intel compatible chip.
Transmeta's chips will consume little power, a lingering problem for Intel. The 3120, for instance, will consume an average of one watt compared to a typical Celeron processor that consumes between four and 10 watts.
Power consumption is one of the more important considerations for mobile devices. The more power the chip consumes, the shorter battery life gets. Power-consuming chips also require device manufacturers to come up with more novel, and often expensive, insulating techniques.
Although Intel has invested heavily in reducing the overall power consumption of its processors, power use continues to go up. Yesterday, for example, the company released new Pentium IIIs for mobile devices with specially designed power-management features. The chips, however, consume more juice in certain circumstances than some earlier chips. A demonstration showed that these chips consume around 11 watts of power when plugged in and six watts while the notebook runs on batteries. Several notebook executives said they expect the "thermal envelop" to grow again by the end of the year.
Another plus for Transmeta: Its chips will come out at competitive speeds. Intel's fastest mobile Celeron runs at 400 MHz, although faster ones are due next month. The Transmeta 5400 chip, meanwhile, is only 100 MHz slower than the fastest Athlon and Pentium III desktop chips and close to the same speed as the fastest mobile processors from either company.
In the past, competitors have not been able to produce volumes of chips at certain speeds, which became a fatal mistake for some.
Another potential Transmeta problem looms in manufacturing costs and market acceptance, analysts have said. Transmeta will have to manufacture its chips in foundries. This adds costs. Cyrix, which was sold to Via, cited foundry costs as one reason the company had difficulty competing.
Device makers would also have to adopt the chip, and the qualification process can be long and involved. In the handheld market, Transmeta will not only compete against Intel, but also Hitachi, MIPS and other established companies.
And just how secretive is Transmeta? More than 2,000 non-disclosure agreements were signed prior to today's announcement, Johnson said. |
