The Cetia SA subsidiary of Thomson-CSF SA, which specialises in VME workstations and processor boards for real-time applications, yesterday introduced the first computers based on the IBM Corp-Motorola Inc PowerPC 601 microprocessor. The Power Engine family comprises two products: a VMTR2 high-performance VME single-board machine; and a VGPW2, which is a VME board optimised for real-time applications under Posix 1003.4 compliant operating systems. Director of OEM and technology licensing for IBM’s advanced workstations and systems division, Lucian Bifano said Since the [PowerPC] agreement with Motorola and Apple 18 months ago, we speculated on who would be the first to market with a product; we certainly did not expect it to come four months after our October announcement of the first silicon. Bifano claimed that Cetia is playing a key role in validating PowerPC microprocessor designs still being developed at the Somerset Center in Austin, Texas. Claude Bozzo, president of Cetia, said his company’s agreement with Motorola for the 88000 microprocessor is still operational. But the PowerPC-based VME engine is better suited for use in development environments because of its binary compatibility with the RS/6000. He added The problem with the 88000, although it’s a fine component and runs perfectly, is that none of the main manufacturers of development machines (Hewlett-Packard, Sun, IBM) are using it. Only Data General is using it. So software developers will hesitate to write for it. With IBM, Motorola and Apple, we have the two largest personal computer producers in the world and the second largest manufacturer of microprocessors. You also have Ford Motor, Thomson and Bull backing the PowerPC, so you are already assured of sales of hundreds of millions. The problem for Sun and Hewlett is that they will sell only in the tens of millions [of chips]. Cetia stated that the Power Engine product will have a phased entry, from September to December 1993 depending on the model, and its hardware, operating system, and extras. Prices will be aligned with those for boards based on the Motorola 68040 to provide a four-to-five-fold increase in price-performance ratios. Cetia expects to announce a PowerPC-based graphics board and a graphic single-board computer in the second quarter. And Bozzo said that the company has already signed a contract with Aerospatiale for an undisclosed number of Power Engine units. He could not hazard how much business Cetia will to do from the Power Engine range because it will be go through three channels: Cetia, Thomson and IBM. He added, however, that his firm would win at least the same revenues as 1992 – $40m. At the same time, Cetia announced it had expanded its co-operative relationship with Lynx Real-time Systems Inc, Los Gatos, California to put up its Posix-compliant Unix on the new products.
