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Technology Stocks : Intel Corporation (INTC) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Process Boy who wrote (83183)	6/10/1999 2:01:00 AM
From: Paul Engel	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 186894

Intel Investors - Warranty Violation, anyone ? Check out this Press Release ! "The Liquid Metal computers are powered by an Intel Pentium(tm) III 450MHz CPU, which is overclocked to 600MHz for maximum performance. " Paul {=============================} newsalert.com June 09, 1999 20:27 GamePC to Deliver New Liquid Metal Series of Computers PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 9, 1999--GamePC announces the introduction of a new series of Gaming PCs to its popular line of computers. The Liquid Metal series from GamePC combines overclocking with the latest in computer cooling technology. Phil Chiang, Vice President of GamePC states, We are proud to offer the Liquid Metal series of GamePC computers. We believe they achieve a fast and stable overclocked system with performance that will exceed other high-performance PCs and yet remain at a reasonable cost. It is great to be able to offer a product like this that our competitors are not able to offer." The Liquid Metal computers are powered by an Intel Pentium(tm) III 450MHz CPU, which is overclocked to 600MHz for maximum performance. A 3dfx Voodoo3(tm) 3000 video accelerator is clocked at 190MHz to provide the fastest graphics possible and is cooled by the award winning Tennmax Stealth Voodoo3 cooler. 384MB of Enhanced Memory System's lightening fast PC133 HSDRAM provides plenty of memory for even the most memory intensive applications and a Pioneer 6X slot loading DVD with a Hollywood Plus MPEG decoder allows you to enjoy the latest in DVD technology. This series is enclosed in the Kryotech Renegade(tm) liquid cooled case that uses vapor phase refrigeration technology to keep heat generated by the CPU at a constant room temperature. Liquid Metal SCSI includes a bleeding fast Ultra2 SCSI bus with the IBM Ultrastar 18GB 10,000 RPM hard drive with 4 MB of cache for unbelievable hard drive throughput and a Plextor 40X Ultrawide SCSI CD-ROM. Liquid Metal EIDE comes with the renown IBM Deskstar 22GXP 7,200 RPM 22GB hard drive with 2MB of cache and the astounding speed of the highly acclaimed Kenwood TrueX 52X CD-ROM. The Liquid Metal computers will be available before June 18th from GamePC's web site at www.gamepc.com. About GamePC Based in Palo Alto, GamePC custom builds high-end computer systems offering customers the largest choice of quality components of any computer manufacturer. GamePC is recognized across the industry as providing top-notch service and support combined with reliable and blazing fast computer systems. GamePC is a subsidiary of Solid Electric Inc., a distributor of SCSI connectors and cables since 1985, and has created a massive and loyal following in the "Gaming PC" market. For more information contact GamePC at 877/GAME-RIG or visit their web site at gamepc.com. CONTACT: GamePC Brad Bell, 650/324-4983

To: Process Boy who wrote (83183)	6/10/1999 10:24:00 AM
From: Tony Viola	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 186894

PB, here's the San Jose Mercury News (won't call them the Murky News this time) article on 300 mm. There is one statement in it that sounds a little off, but, then again, I know enough about IC fab, processing to be dangerous. Does this understate the complexity of 300 mm, i.e., that it is "far less challenging"? I guess tell it to the semiconductor equip. guys, huh? Although using larger wafers is far less challenging than other advances that the semiconductor industry is currently wrestling with, it's still a difficult process to implement. mercurycenter.com Posted at 9:11 p.m. PDT Wednesday, June 9, 1999 Intel commits to new wafer process BY TOM QUINLAN Mercury News Staff Writer Next time Andy Grove says it looks like rain, don't waste time getting your rain coat -- buy stock in an umbrella company. When Intel Corp. on Wednesday formally announced its widely known timetable to begin making chips from larger silicon wafers, stock in equipment manufacturers skyrocketed. Intel had said numerous times in the past that it expected to move by 2002 to the new 300-millimeter wafers, whose size helps cut the cost of chip production. Still, its announcement was taken as the first solid commitment to the new technology by a major semiconductor company. As a result, Applied Material Inc.'s stock went up $3 a share. KLA-Tencor Corp. went up by $5.25. Novellus Systems Inc. got a $4 per share bump. Shares of Intel rose $1.44 to close at $53.13. The core of Intel's announcement was that it would outfit a state-of-the art manufacturing plant in its Hillsboro, Ore., campus with 300 mm wafer technology. The upgrade will also include two other technological innovations: equipment to manufacture chips with more efficient copper wiring, rather than the standard aluminum, and equipment to etch smaller chips, using a 0.13 micron process. Intel will start buying, installing and testing the 300 mm technology within the next few months, said Mike Splinter, vice president and general manager of Intel's technology and manufacturing group. ''In the past, there have been concerns about whether the equipment and tools would be production-worthy by (2002),'' Splinter said. ''With this announcement we are saying that we're confident 300 mm will be ready by then.'' This vote of confidence has been a long time coming. Equipment manufacturers and Sematech -- the chip industry consortium created to foster new manufacturing technologies -- have been touting 300 mm technology since 1997. Compared with the current standard 200 mm wafers, manufacturers could make almost 2 1/2 times as many chips on a single wafer using the larger size. That alone would be enough to cut the cost of chip manufacturing by as much as 30 percent, proponents said. But 1997 was the start of a vicious three-year downturn in the high-tech industry that slowed demand for semiconductors even as capacity was growing. That made it a poor time to be introducing an expensive technology with the primary benefit of increasing a company's ability to make chips. Although using larger wafers is far less challenging than other advances that the semiconductor industry is currently wrestling with, it's still a difficult process to implement. As recently as April, Intel was downplaying the benefits of using the larger wafers in its facilities, preferring instead to concentrate on technologies that let Intel not only produce less expensive processors, but chips that were faster and more powerful at the same time. It was the bang-for-the-buck theory. But that attitude, prevalent throughout the industry, left chip companies and the equipment manufacturers in a bind. While everyone agreed the move to 300 mm was worthwhile, nobody wanted to be first -- because the pioneering company would have to pay to perfect a process that wouldn't give it a competitive edge. By mid-1998, equipment manufacturers had spent an estimated $4 billion in developing 300 mm technology, and their customers still had not committed to buying it. More recently, some companies have made tentative efforts to adopt the technology -- most notably a pilot program by Motorola and Siemans in Dresden, Germany. But Intel's endorsement is being hailed as the gesture needed to get 300 mm back on the fast track again. ''This is a very welcome announcement by Intel,'' said Dan Maydan, president of Applied Materials. ''Intel wants other companies to join them in this effort, and their announcement will ensure that other companies have to start seriously evaluating this technology.'' To meet Intel's time line, equipment manufacturers will have to be ready to ship their products within the next 12 to 18 months, Maydan added. ''This ensures that the year 2000 will be the year of 300 millimeter.''