Sun Microsystems Inc is reportedly moving on apace with a next-generation 80 MIPS, single-processor workstation built around the 40MHz, superscalar Viking Sparc, which is being fabricated in 0.8 micron Bi-CMOS technology by Texas Instrumends Inc (CI No 1,587). According to US sources, the workstation is due for announcement soon and complies with Sparc International’s SCD 2.0 definition for Sparc systems. Texas signed up to fabricate future versions of the Sparc back in September 1988, in the same breath as it became a second source for Cypress Semiconductor’s CMOS implementation. Cypress is working on a similar superscalar Sparc dubbed Pinochle, while LSI Logic is working on a standard 80 MIPS CMOS Sparc called Lightning, working in conjunction with Metaflow Technologies and Hyundai Electronics. According to one of Sun’s competitor, the Texas Instruments Viking part is certainly the chip that Sun is betting all its marbles on.
