This Tuesday, MIPS Computer Systems Inc is hosting its latest media event for the R4000 chip, bolstered by the presence of five semiconductor companies. Word is that three new chips will be announced: a scaled-down version with no cache registering 40 Specmarks, a high-performance unit delivering 60 Specmarks and a multi-processor version also rated at 60 Specmarks. It is possible an early version of Microsoft Corp’s NT might be on show and there may be talk from NEC Corp of a faster 60MHz iteration doing 75 Specmarks for some time out in the future, considering how hard it is to product 50MHz RISC silicon. It may also trot out faster R3000s, and is also said to be working on an R5000.
