IBM Introduces First Mainstream Silicon Germanium Chips
East Fishkill, N.Y., October 12, 1998
IBM today announced the first standard, high-volume chips built using its patented silicon germanium manufacturing process. As these chips enter the marketplace, consumers are likely to benefit from cellular phones, pagers, and other wireless communications devices that have extended battery life, carry out multiple functions, and are smaller, lighter, and less expensive.
IBM is the first chip maker to introduce silicon germanium technology into high-volume, mainstream manufacturing. Initially pioneered by IBM as an alternative high-speed chip material for mainframe computing, silicon germanium is an ideal technology for building many of the key chips used in wireless communications products. Silicon germanium's suitability for complex designs is expected to accelerate the integration of cell phone, e-mail, and Internet access functions into a single device, spawning a new breed of hand-held "information appliances."
chips.ibm.com
"....and yet another breakthrough....... ."
This, coupled with the Copper, Silicon-On-Insulator, dramatic improvements in "Giant Magneto Resistive (GMR)" read-head technology (for disk drives) and many assorted announcements (super-servers (ie. mainframes), workstations, mid-range servers, network computing improvements, "e-business", etc.) & breakthroughs....I'd say there most certainly is a bright future here. And the Services Sector to help be the driving engine for much of this !!!!
KO |
