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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Paul Engel who wrote (34630)	7/17/1998 12:28:00 AM
From: Dale J.	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 1572412

Motorola and AMD to ally on copper chip manufacturing By James Niccolai InfoWorld Electric Posted at 7:24 PM PT, Jul 16, 1998 Motorola's Semiconductor Products Sector and Advanced Micro Devices are due to announce a cross-licensing and development pact Monday that will combine their efforts on next-generation copper-based chip manufacturing, a Motorola representative said. The alliance will speed the companies' development of copper-based chips for embedded markets, which includes cellular telephones and networking devices, as well as microprocessors used in desktops, said Motorola spokesman Bernie Walker. He refused to disclose further details of the alliance. Copper wiring is being billed as the next big thing in the semiconductor industry. Over the next few years, it is expected to replace the aluminum interconnects that are ubiquitous today, and should allow chip manufacturers to keep churning out products at ever-faster clock speeds. Copper conducts electricity better than aluminum, and is also easier to cool and more reliable at a greater range of temperatures. The manufacturing process for copper-based chips involves fewer steps than with aluminum designs, resulting in cost savings that could be passed on to consumers. However, the transition will be a complex one, requiring hefty investments by chip makers for new manufacturing tools. Motorola said in March it had completed tests of silicon wafers using copper technology, and the company plans to begin volume production in the early part of 1999, a company official said recently. AMD, meanwhile, has kept its copper goals close to its chest, and until Monday will have said little about when and how it plans to implement the new technology. Jerry Sanders, chairman and chief executive officer of AMD, along with Hector Ruiz, president of Motorola's chip division, are scheduled to announce the partnership during a press conference at AMD's Sunnyvale, Calif., headquarters Monday.