This IS Inquirer so this must be taken with a large grain of salt,
until and unless other more respectable websites confirm these things,
but for now, here is what good 'ole Inq. is saying
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=11002
Big Blue to make NV36, NV40 chips
TSMC to make ATI chips
By INQUIRER staff: Wednesday 13 August 2003, 09:24
WHILE NVIDIA EXECUTIVES at a conference call last week never let the
phrase "IBM Microelectronics" pass their lips, it appears from a
report today that the second source foundry still has a deal to make
chips for it.
A report in the Economic News said that Big Blue will make NV36 and
NV40 chips for Nvidia, while TSMC will make RV360 and R420 graphics
chips for ATI.
The report adds that the NV40 will have 300 million trannies and run
at 600MHz, use special DDR-II memory and be produced at the IBM
foundry at .13µ (micron) towards the end of the year.
The R420 will use TSMC .13µ technology and the report added that the
Taiwanese foundry will fab up the R500 series chips using 90 nanometer
tech next year. Moving to 90 nanometer, we'd suggest, will be no
picnic however.
IBM has lowered prices on its wafer tech to compete the harder with
TSMC, while the Taiwanese foundries are cutting costs. Currently, TSMC
makes 95% of Nvidia's chips, the report added, while a staggering 11%
of TSMC's revenue emanates from Graphzilla.
But IBM Micro and TSMC have very different models – and Nvidia is
desperate to reduce costs on .13µ chips. Nvidia is forced to pay for a
whole wafer from TSMC, which includes duff chips. With Big Blue,
customers only pay for good chips. µ
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