IBM Corp has earmarked its new East Fishkill, New York-based advanced chip facility to produce PowerPC chips, the ISM (Insanely Great Mac) web site hears. The site was told that the plant will be developing chips that will contain up to 200 million transistors. IBM announced plans for the $700m plant at the end of 1997, building it near to IBM Microelectronics’ current Advanced Semiconductor Technology Center, and also close to the Yorktown Heights Research Center where developments in copper manufacturing and silicon germanium processes have been spearheaded. The .18 micron facility will move quickly down to .15 micron process, IBM said at the time. It has previously said that it will be using the facility for copper-enabled 1GHz CMOS microprocessors and 12-inch (300m) wafers when it opens late this year (CI No 3,357). IBM’s arguments with Motorola Inc of the PowerPC led to it selling off its interest in the jointly-funded Somerset design facility.
