To all:
National making first Cyrix chips
news.com
...While this (being fabless) has spared Cyrix from being forced to make billion dollar-plus investments for chip fabrication facilities, it has also meant that the company has had to rely on generic design conventions that can be handled by the variety of outside chip manufacturers.
As a result of the successful completion of its merger with National, Cyrix can now fine tune its chip designs with an eye toward utilizing National's manufacturing abilities. In turn, this could result in more processors per wafer and higher yields, Maher said.
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National said it is currently manufacturing Cyrix 6x86 processors on the most advanced "0.25" micron process out of its pilot manufacturing plant in Santa Clara, California. Volume production of the chip is expected to begin in the summer at National's plant in Portland, Maine. The 0.25 designation refers to the width of the circuits on a microprocessor: The smaller the process, the faster the chip. Currently, Cyrix's commercially released chips rely on the .35 micron process.
National is also currently manufacturing test silicon for the Cyrix MediaGX chip, an integrated processor which has so far enjoyed more major design wins than the 6X86, according to sources close to Cyrix. Pilot production of 0.25 process MediaGX processors from the National plant are anticipated for the first half of 1998, the source added.
Joe |
