IBM Ships 10 Millionth GAMECUBE Processor to Nintendo

Business Wire, Sept 20, 2002

Business Editors/High Tech Writers

NOTE TO MEDIA: Multimedia assets available

EAST FISHKILL, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 20, 2002

IBM today announced it has delivered 10 million PowerPC processors to Nintendo for its award-winning Nintendo Gamecube system.

The 10 millionth chip was manufactured at IBM's high-volume manufacturing facility in Burlington, VT, where copper-based processors have been manufactured and shipped to customers since 1998.

"As customers like Nintendo develop increasingly sophisticated systems, the complexity of the chips that power them grows dramatically," said Michel Mayer, general manager, IBM Microelectronics. "We have the technology, design expertise and manufacturing experience necessary to develop and deliver customized solutions for our customers."

IBM manufactures the central processor using IBM's industry-leading 0.18-micron copper technology. The chip, dubbed the "Gekko" processor, is an extension of the IBM PowerPC architecture. It's designed to be more powerful than those found in any other current home video game entertainment system, providing players with dramatically better graphics and more realistic action.

"We are pleased to continue our long-standing affiliation with IBM," said Satoru Iwata, president of Nintendo. "With the ability to push to even higher performance and integration levels, IBM's technology combined with Nintendo's innovation offers our customers a unique gaming experience that they have come to expect."

The milestone underscores the growing use of PowerPC in applications that demand a combination of unique functions and exceptional performance.

The IBM processor leverages IBM's experience with complex system designs and incorporates enhancements specifically required by Nintendo. These include functions specifically designed to accelerate games processing and more efficient data bandwidth management between the processor and the game system's primary graphics chip. With IBM's advanced copper processor powering the Nintendo system, developers can create game designs featuring a degree of realism, emotional connection, fantasy or interaction they've always imagined.

The IBM PowerPC architecture has been selected for a variety of applications in networking gear and network-attached products, including base stations, routers, modems, Internet-access phones, digital TV boxes, laser printers, optical switches, RAID controllers, and personal computers.

IBM Microelectronics is a key contributor to IBM's role as the world's premier information technology supplier. IBM Microelectronics develops, manufactures and markets state-of-the-art semiconductor and interconnect technologies, products and services. Its superior integrated solutions can be found in many of the world's best-known electronic brands. More information about IBM Microelectronics can be found at: http://www.ibm.com/chips.> All trademarks or registered trademarks are property of their respective companies.

Note: A Photo is available at URL: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/photo.cgi?pw.092002/bb3