90nm PowerPC 970 Ready?

MacRumors · 03:17 PM

Appleinsider claims that the 90nm PowerPC was officially "taped out" and ready for production.

According to this report, the new chip is said to use a Strained Silicon on Insulator (SSOI) technology. The new technology offers speed boosts and decreased power requirements for upcoming chips by combining Strained Silicon and Silicon on Insultaor (SOI) technology. However, according tocomments from Bijan Davari, vice president of technology development at IBM Microelectronics, IBM is not planning on introducing SSOI technology until 65nm -- which is expected in 2005. This discrepancy raises questions about the validity of this new report.

However, that being said, 90nm PowerPC 970 technology is imminent -- with IBM offering a presentation on the 90nm PowerPC 970 in February 2004 at the 2004 ISSCC Conference.

The 90nm PowerPC 970 likely represents the "GPUL2" that was referenced by eWeek in July. eWeek expected the GPUL2 to be introduced by mid-2004

yoman · Nov 21, 2003, 03:06 PM

Seems far fetched to me

Karim · Nov 21, 2003, 03:06 PM

Powerbook G5 here we come! MWSF '04 ?? I hoooope so.

AmigoMac · Nov 21, 2003, 03:07 PM

Powerbook G5, I'm waiting for you...

Ambrose Chapel · Nov 21, 2003, 03:08 PM

this would finally prove that the days of being kept down by motorola are over

for the power macs at least...

macMaestro · Nov 21, 2003, 03:08 PM

Hmm...

The CEO or AppleInsider, the CEO or AppleInsider.

Sorry, but I believe the IBM's CEO on this one. SSOI in 2005.

nagromme · Nov 21, 2003, 03:10 PM

No PBG5 yet. Having the chips ready is ONE factor--and good for future PMG5s or even iMacs (neither of which seems likely to be refreshed as soon as Jan). But Apple has other engineering challenges to solve and work through.

My pending order for a PowerBook G4 in no way biases my predictions

arn · Nov 21, 2003, 03:17 PM

small correction on the article. SSOI was not introduced in 2001. That was just Strained Silicon. SSOI is Strained Silicon + SOI.

arn

@HomeNow · Nov 21, 2003, 03:17 PM

I wouldnt be suprised if IBM were to deliver this technology early. A year early is streatching it a bit. so I wont hold my breath.

Lancetx · Nov 21, 2003, 03:18 PM

Yep, I'm just hoping we'll see the G5 PowerBooks and iMacs by the 2nd half of 2004 at this point. Anything sooner than that I don't think would be to realistic to expect.

Bunzi2k4 · Nov 21, 2003, 03:42 PM

i hope this is false... don't get me wrong its great to have pb g5's, but i just made a bet with my friend that powerbook g5's won't make it in wwdc 04... o well... i thought that there was gonna be new imacs, but new ones already came out... so... i don't know, what will come out in wwdc 04?

AmigoMac · Nov 21, 2003, 03:49 PM

Speed for Powermacs, next summer, every PM will go Dual-Processor from now on, ok, after they find a replacement for the single 1.6. MWSF 05, PB G5, of course single processor, at the 05 summer, they will announce Mac OS X (10.5) going 64 bit totally for PM's and PB's ... until that happens, every mac will get just a speed bump after we see Emac/iBook at 1.25 GHz... and iMac at 1.33 or 1.42 GHz, of course there will be those speeds for PBs as well until they reach G5, can see some 60 / 80 GB iPods

... prices shouldn't go really high, it won't be new technology at all, just some HD increase, USB 2.0 and FW800 for all, VGA will go away, guess, 12" PB with Gigabit ethernet and some time in between, a new wireless mouse with some track-pad like the ipod for scrolling - it could be one button

- If I have something new, I'll post again, I didn't want to go off topic but I'm really waiting a PB G5 like most of you... sorry for my long lines but, sometimes you have to tell your dreams someone...

gwuMACaddict · Nov 21, 2003, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by @HomeNow
A year early is streatching it a bit. so I wont hold my breath.

a bit is prolly an understatement. as nice as this sounds i would be very very surprised if it turns out to be true. IBM must really working overtime, considering all these rumors about the smaller 970 and the new 980. seems like its all right around the corner

TyleRomeo · Nov 21, 2003, 03:56 PM

regardless all these rumors are definately a good thing. Some of them are going to come true and 2004 might just be the year of the Desktop. Two G5 Powermacs and one G5 iMac.

Tyler

stockscalper · Nov 21, 2003, 04:11 PM

Purrrfect for the new Powerbooks! Now, while we're dreaming about new PB's what are some enhancements you would like to see besides 64 bit processing?

For me it's higher screen resolution, greater battery life, faster ram, faster front side bus (167mz is ridiculous), 72rpm hard drives and larger L2 cache.

Then you would truly have a desktop replacement machine. With the current crop of PB's all you've got is a desktop replacement for last year's imac.

sethypoo · Nov 21, 2003, 04:32 PM

This should work, I think the PBG5 will come out in about a year and a half, give or take.

About then I'll be ready to buy a new laptop, maybe later.

I sure hope that they can fix the heating problems.

Can't wait!

vannote · Nov 21, 2003, 04:35 PM

Daddy needs a new PowerBook...

peejay · Nov 21, 2003, 04:43 PM

Just so everyone knows, "taped out" is when the designs for the photomasks are finalized and sent to the mask house on a tape. What still needs to happen after this: The masks (about twenty different layers) are made and tested, the process is established (all process testing was probably done in the fab with a set of test masks, but some kinks will develop with the real masks), engineering wafer starts, then production starts. When wafers are complete, there's all the back-end processing, like dicing and packaging. I worked in wafer fabs (including IBM) for thirteen years, and I can tell you many things can still go wrong. Cross your fingers, and we'll have G5 powerbooks by March.

blogo · Nov 21, 2003, 04:55 PM

does a 1,5ghz g5 produce more heat than a 1,5ghz g4?

sharky2313 · Nov 21, 2003, 04:59 PM

powerbook here I come

Rocketman · Nov 21, 2003, 05:08 PM

Wouldn't it be cool if at MacWorld you arrived to a wall of G5 Rev B (and NEW iMac) boxes ready for deliveryand by the end of the show they were all DELIVERED to attendees?

Sounding more practical all the time.

Rocketman

SiliconAddict · Nov 21, 2003, 05:10 PM

Did anyone else have an almost orgasmic experience at the mention of 65nm.

Mmmmmmmm

killmoms · Nov 21, 2003, 05:12 PM

I, for one, don't understand why everyone's so down on the new PowerBooks and so incredibly eager for the PowerBook G5. I just got the 1.25GHz PB 15"and it's quite a capable little computer. I've been consistantly amazed at what it can do despite its "low" MHz rating. It feels just as fast as my Athlon 2000+ desktop from 1.5 years ago (which is still a decent system in that it can play the latest games). Final Cut editing is quite possible, and to be honest, how often is a video professional going to be editing on a laptop?

Laptops are great for what they're for: travelling word processing and internet access, with the occasional game and such thrown in for good measure. Even "pro" users on "pro" laptops don't do their main work on said machines. They'll have G5 towers back in the studio for the real workhorse applications.

The G4 is getting tired, yes, but that doesn't make the current crop of PowerBooks worthless by any stretch of the imagination.

--Cless

ITR 81 · Nov 21, 2003, 05:36 PM

I still say Apple will release a 1.42 G4 PB before the G5 comes out. I expect the new G4 to show up in probably next 3 months.

I'm thinking the G5 will come in 3 flavors.
1.6,1.8, and 2.0
To make this happen I'm figureing the G5 PM's will probably be on the 980 PPC by then.

TMay · Nov 21, 2003, 05:39 PM

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/3/34124.html

I'm inclined to believe this, but for another reason. IBM sees Intel(HP) in a bit of a predicament on the Itanium II, and with both the Power5 coming on line, Opterons in the mid range, and PPC 970's in blades, IBM looks to have a very solid 64 bit lineup. Keeping the pressure on with 90nm will reduce costs and drive applications to 64 bit hardware that much faster, benefitting everyone but Intel, who aren't keen to risk damage to Itanium with a 64 bit x86 product.

Intel may not have a choice if AMD gets some momentum on Athlon64 and Opteron.

Naturally, Apple benefits with speedbumps and G5 Powerbooks.

Nov 21, 2003, 03:02 PM	#1
MacRumors macrumors bot Join Date: Apr 2001	90nm PowerPC 970 Ready? Appleinsider claims that the 90nm PowerPC was officially "taped out" and ready for production. According to this report, the new chip is said to use a Strained Silicon on Insulator (SSOI) technology. The new technology offers speed boosts and decreased power requirements for upcoming chips by combining Strained Silicon and Silicon on Insultaor (SOI) technology. However, according tocomments from Bijan Davari, vice president of technology development at IBM Microelectronics, IBM is not planning on introducing SSOI technology until 65nm -- which is expected in 2005. This discrepancy raises questions about the validity of this new report. However, that being said, 90nm PowerPC 970 technology is imminent -- with IBM offering a presentation on the 90nm PowerPC 970 in February 2004 at the 2004 ISSCC Conference. The 90nm PowerPC 970 likely represents the "GPUL2" that was referenced by eWeek in July. eWeek expected the GPUL2 to be introduced by mid-2004 Last edited by arn : Nov 21, 2003 at 03:17 PM.

Nov 21, 2003, 03:06 PM	#2
yoman macrumors 6502a Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: In the Bowels of the Cosmos	I don't know about this one Seems far fetched to me __________________ My first computer was an Apple IIGS at the meager age of 6 1/2 years. I was raised with an APPLE and I will die with an APPLE.

Nov 21, 2003, 03:07 PM	#4
AmigoMac macrumors 68020 Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: l'Allemagne	ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Powerbook G5, I'm waiting for you... __________________ No Mac no fun...

Nov 21, 2003, 03:08 PM	#5
Ambrose Chapel macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Cambridge, MA	i hope it's true this would finally prove that the days of being kept down by motorola are over for the power macs at least...

Nov 21, 2003, 03:10 PM	#7
nagromme macrumors 601 Join Date: May 2002 Location: Blinking blue dot	No PowerBook G5 yet No PBG5 yet. Having the chips ready is ONE factor--and good for future PMG5s or even iMacs (neither of which seems likely to be refreshed as soon as Jan). But Apple has other engineering challenges to solve and work through. My pending order for a PowerBook G4 in no way biases my predictions __________________ nagromme Would you like a treatment?

Nov 21, 2003, 03:06 PM	#3
Karim macrumors newbie Join Date: Aug 2003	Powerbook G5 here we come! MWSF '04 ?? I hoooope so.

Nov 21, 2003, 03:08 PM	#6
macMaestro macrumors regular Join Date: Sep 2003	Hmm... The CEO or AppleInsider, the CEO or AppleInsider. Sorry, but I believe the IBM's CEO on this one. SSOI in 2005.

Nov 21, 2003, 03:17 PM	#8
arn macrumors god Join Date: Apr 2001	small correction on the article. SSOI was not introduced in 2001. That was just Strained Silicon. SSOI is Strained Silicon + SOI. arn

Nov 21, 2003, 03:17 PM	#9
@HomeNow macrumors newbie Join Date: Dec 2002	I wouldnt be suprised if IBM were to deliver this technology early. A year early is streatching it a bit. so I wont hold my breath.

Nov 21, 2003, 03:18 PM	#10
Lancetx macrumors 65816 Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Texas	Yep, I'm just hoping we'll see the G5 PowerBooks and iMacs by the 2nd half of 2004 at this point. Anything sooner than that I don't think would be to realistic to expect.

Nov 21, 2003, 03:42 PM	#11
Bunzi2k4 macrumors 6502 Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: San Diego, California	i hope this is false... don't get me wrong its great to have pb g5's, but i just made a bet with my friend that powerbook g5's won't make it in wwdc 04... o well... i thought that there was gonna be new imacs, but new ones already came out... so... i don't know, what will come out in wwdc 04? __________________ This is the Steinmania I'm awesome

Nov 21, 2003, 03:49 PM	#12
AmigoMac macrumors 68020 Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: l'Allemagne	My predictions... Speed for Powermacs, next summer, every PM will go Dual-Processor from now on, ok, after they find a replacement for the single 1.6. MWSF 05, PB G5, of course single processor, at the 05 summer, they will announce Mac OS X (10.5) going 64 bit totally for PM's and PB's ... until that happens, every mac will get just a speed bump after we see Emac/iBook at 1.25 GHz... and iMac at 1.33 or 1.42 GHz, of course there will be those speeds for PBs as well until they reach G5, can see some 60 / 80 GB iPods ... prices shouldn't go really high, it won't be new technology at all, just some HD increase, USB 2.0 and FW800 for all, VGA will go away, guess, 12" PB with Gigabit ethernet and some time in between, a new wireless mouse with some track-pad like the ipod for scrolling - it could be one button - If I have something new, I'll post again, I didn't want to go off topic but I'm really waiting a PB G5 like most of you... sorry for my long lines but, sometimes you have to tell your dreams someone... __________________ No Mac no fun...

Nov 21, 2003, 03:56 PM	#14
TyleRomeo macrumors 6502a Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: New York	regardless all these rumors are definately a good thing. Some of them are going to come true and 2004 might just be the year of the Desktop. Two G5 Powermacs and one G5 iMac. Tyler __________________ Mac Pro (Early 2008) Dual 2.8GHZ Quad 2GB RAM NVIDIA 8800GT 512MB Dual 1.25 GHz PowerMac G4; 1.91TB; 2GB RAM ATI 9700 Pro 128MB; Airport

Nov 21, 2003, 04:11 PM	#15
stockscalper macrumors regular Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Area 51	Purrrfect for the new Powerbooks! Now, while we're dreaming about new PB's what are some enhancements you would like to see besides 64 bit processing? For me it's higher screen resolution, greater battery life, faster ram, faster front side bus (167mz is ridiculous), 72rpm hard drives and larger L2 cache. Then you would truly have a desktop replacement machine. With the current crop of PB's all you've got is a desktop replacement for last year's imac.

Nov 21, 2003, 04:32 PM	#16
sethypoo macrumors 68000 Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Sacramento, CA, USA	This should work, I think the PBG5 will come out in about a year and a half, give or take. About then I'll be ready to buy a new laptop, maybe later. I sure hope that they can fix the heating problems. Can't wait! __________________ Weeeeeee!

Nov 21, 2003, 04:35 PM	#17
vannote macrumors member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: NYC	Keep them rumors coming... Daddy needs a new PowerBook...

Nov 21, 2003, 04:43 PM	#18
peejay macrumors newbie Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Portland, OR	"taped out" Just so everyone knows, "taped out" is when the designs for the photomasks are finalized and sent to the mask house on a tape. What still needs to happen after this: The masks (about twenty different layers) are made and tested, the process is established (all process testing was probably done in the fab with a set of test masks, but some kinks will develop with the real masks), engineering wafer starts, then production starts. When wafers are complete, there's all the back-end processing, like dicing and packaging. I worked in wafer fabs (including IBM) for thirteen years, and I can tell you many things can still go wrong. Cross your fingers, and we'll have G5 powerbooks by March. __________________ Stop apostrophe abuse now! it's == it is. its == possessed by it. Otherwise, never use ' for plurals except numerals and initials. see this: http://www.angryflower.com/itsits.gif

Nov 21, 2003, 04:55 PM	#19
blogo macrumors 6502 Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Norway	does a 1,5ghz g5 produce more heat than a 1,5ghz g4?

Nov 21, 2003, 04:59 PM	#20
sharky2313 macrumors member Join Date: Jun 2003	powerbook here I come __________________ join up MacRumors Team http://www.stanford.edu/group/pandegroup/folding/ team # 3446

Nov 21, 2003, 05:08 PM	#21
Rocketman macrumors 68020 Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Claremont, CA	Wouldn't it be cool if at MacWorld you arrived to a wall of G5 Rev B (and NEW iMac) boxes ready for deliveryand by the end of the show they were all DELIVERED to attendees? Sounding more practical all the time. Rocketman

Nov 21, 2003, 05:10 PM	#22
SiliconAddict macrumors 601 Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Burnsville, Minnesota, USA	Did anyone else have an almost orgasmic experience at the mention of 65nm. Mmmmmmmm __________________ -iPod Video 160GB -MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo 2.33Ghz/3GB RAM/250GB -Newton 4700 (a.k.a iPaq 4700) -Dell 2405FPW 24" Widescreen

Nov 21, 2003, 05:12 PM	#23
killmoms macrumors 68040 Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Washington, DC	I, for one, don't understand why everyone's so down on the new PowerBooks and so incredibly eager for the PowerBook G5. I just got the 1.25GHz PB 15"and it's quite a capable little computer. I've been consistantly amazed at what it can do despite its "low" MHz rating. It feels just as fast as my Athlon 2000+ desktop from 1.5 years ago (which is still a decent system in that it can play the latest games). Final Cut editing is quite possible, and to be honest, how often is a video professional going to be editing on a laptop? Laptops are great for what they're for: travelling word processing and internet access, with the occasional game and such thrown in for good measure. Even "pro" users on "pro" laptops don't do their main work on said machines. They'll have G5 towers back in the studio for the real workhorse applications. The G4 is getting tired, yes, but that doesn't make the current crop of PowerBooks worthless by any stretch of the imagination. --Cless __________________ killmoms.com - Well, don't really. Goodbye Velocity and Yaseko, say hello to... Henrietta: 15" MacBook Pro, 2.33GHz C2D, 2GB RAM Kyoko: 8GB iPhone

Nov 21, 2003, 05:36 PM	#24
ITR 81 macrumors 65816 Join Date: Oct 2003	I still say Apple will release a 1.42 G4 PB before the G5 comes out. I expect the new G4 to show up in probably next 3 months. I'm thinking the G5 will come in 3 flavors. 1.6,1.8, and 2.0 To make this happen I'm figureing the G5 PM's will probably be on the 980 PPC by then.

Nov 21, 2003, 05:39 PM	#25
TMay macrumors 6502 Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Carson City, NV	If true, would this trump AMD 90 nm delivery? http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/3/34124.html I'm inclined to believe this, but for another reason. IBM sees Intel(HP) in a bit of a predicament on the Itanium II, and with both the Power5 coming on line, Opterons in the mid range, and PPC 970's in blades, IBM looks to have a very solid 64 bit lineup. Keeping the pressure on with 90nm will reduce costs and drive applications to 64 bit hardware that much faster, benefitting everyone but Intel, who aren't keen to risk damage to Itanium with a 64 bit x86 product. Intel may not have a choice if AMD gets some momentum on Athlon64 and Opteron. Naturally, Apple benefits with speedbumps and G5 Powerbooks.

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