There’s no reason IBM Corp why should stay loyal to Cyrix Corp now that its Intel Corp iAPX-86 partner is falling into the arms of National Semiconductor Corp and not only has Big Blue decided to use rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc’s K6 in new Aptiva home computers but has also struck a wide-ranging technology agreement with the company (CI No 3,228). An IBM spokesperson told Computergram the AMD deal is much broader than just its use of K6, pointing to internal and media speculation that IBM might end up fabricating AMD processors or even co-operating on future AMD designs. IBM is using AMD’s Pentium II generation-compatible parts in new Aptiva E series systems due in a few weeks following a price/performance evaluation. It says it has no plan to discontinue fabrication of Cyrix processors and says it’ll even use Cyrix’s K6 competitor called M2 in other Aptiva models. While an obvious slap in the face for Cyrix, the latter’s acquisition by Nat Semi will enable IBM to broaden its relationship with other chip-makers.
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