EAST FISHKILL, N.Y. -- Feb. 2, 2004 -- IBM today announced that Sony Group is investing $325 million to facilitate production of next generation 65 nanometer chips in IBM´s state-of-the-art 300mm semiconductor manufacturing facility.
Sony Group´s investment will help IBM enable capacity for the manufacture of the new microprocessor, code named ˝Cell,˝ and other chips to be used in next generation computer entertainment systems and Sony´s wide array of next generation digital consumer electronics products.
IBM expects to begin pilot production of Cell microprocessors and other chips for Sony at its 300mm facility in East Fishkill, NY, during the first half of 2005.
˝Sony Group´s investment in capacity at our 300mm facility confirms our mutual commitment to producing volume quantities of the highly-anticipated Cell custom microprocessors,˝ said Dr. John E. Kelly, senior vice president and group executive, technology, IBM Systems and Technology Group. ˝Companies like Sony are turning to IBM for access to a unique combination of innovative skills and technology leadership, including access to silicon-on-insulator (SOI), complex semiconductor design capabilities and leading-edge manufacturing expertise.˝
IBM, Sony, and Toshiba are aggressively pursuing development of the next generation Cell microprocessor and the most advanced semiconductor process technology for next generation computer entertainment systems and consumer electronics products. Sony Group´s investment in capacity at IBM´s 300mm facility is intended to help rapidly establish volume production of Cell and other chips designed with the process technology the three companies are working on at a joint development lab in Austin, TX.
Source: IBM
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