At the dinner the Apple Computer Inc-IBM Corp-Motorola Inc team – which is now styling itself AIM – hosted on the eve of the Microprocessor Forum last week in San Francisco, it came to light that they expect first silicon of the single-chip PowerPC next year, a year ahead of what has been expected: the prototypes, coming from their Customer Design Center down in Texas, is intended for the low-cost desktop market; the PowerPC will also have a Motorola 88110 bus – Motorola is obviously driving a number of other issues but there is still no clear confirmation of suggestions that the PowerPC will be pin-compatible with the 88000 – and when asked why AIM should be believed any more than ACE, the trio answered because we’re putting a billion dollars into joint activities, that’s why just how much is ACE putting into the kitty?
