So far, IBM Corp has lined up distribution for its memory chips only in Japan, but the company has now got around to considering going out and looking for distributors for its semiconductors and its personal computer boards in the US, according to Electronic News. The company’s efforts are being co-ordinated by former Harris Semiconductor president Jon Cornell,who has been brought in as a consultant. Companies said to have been contacted by IBM include Avnet Inc, which served as a value-added reseller for IBM personal computers in the 1980s; Arrow Electronics Inc, which recently agreed to distribute IBM AS/400 mid-range computers to resellers; and Anthem Electronics Inc, franchised last month by IBM’s storage systems unit, AdStar. A source has suggested that a possible IBM package could include 4Mb and 16Mb dynamic memory chips as well as personal computer system boards populated with 386SLC and 486LC2 microprocessors – but there is no firm decision as yet.
