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AUSTIN, Texas - August 4, 1997 - Today, IBM and Motorola deliver new levels of performance to their systems customers with the introduction of advanced PowerPC microprocessors using next-generation design and manufacturing process technology.
The processors include:
These processors deliver 30 to 60 percent better performance than previous PowerPC microprocessors for Macintosh, Mac-compatible and UNIX systems. As a result, they enable customers to build powerful systems that take advantage of leading-edge multimedia and graphics applications.
A number of manufacturers are expected to announce systems using the PowerPC 750/740 and the PowerPC 604e processors over the next several months. These companies include Apple Computer, Motorola Computer Group, IBM's RS/6000 Division, Power Computing Corporation, UMAX Computer Corporation, Groupe Bull and Tatung.
'We expect Power Macintosh customers to be extremely pleased with the increased performance made possible by the new PowerPC processors," said Philip Schiller, Apple vice president of worldwide product marketing. "We plan to immediately deliver stunning new high-performance systems based on the new PowerPC 604e processor. And we look forward to availability of the versatile new PowerPC 750/740 processors for use with future products."
The PowerPC 750 processor is available initially at speeds up to 266 MHz, using only about five watts of power. The combination of high performance and low power, enabled by a new design, makes this processor flexible for a wide range of Macintosh and Mac-compatible systems - from high-performance desktops to mobile computing systems. "IBM and Motorola have achieved an excellent combination of high performance and low power with the PowerPC 750 microprocessor," said Linley Gwennap, editor of Microprocessor Report. "Its design advantages translate into outstanding application-level performance."
"The new PowerPC 750 microprocessor with its advanced caching allows Motorola Computer Group to deliver balanced high performance systems for demanding Mac OS applications," said Joe Guglielmi, corporate vice president and general manager of the Motorola Computer Group. "Our just announced StarMax PRO 6000 Series features a 66 MHz bus that rachets up total system performance to match the unparalleled speed of the PowerPC 750 microprocessor."
"Breakthrough PowerPC 750 technology allows Power Computing Corporation to continue to offer leading-edge systems to high performance multimedia and graphics customers," said Stephen Kahng, founder and CEO, Power Computing Corporation.
IBM and Motorola are offering the PowerPC 740 processor, a different version of the new design, for desktop products plus high-end communications and networking products, such as network computers, routers and storage controllers.
By delivering the PowerPC 604e microprocessor at speeds up to 350 MHz, IBM and Motorola provide the fastest and highest performance of any volume desktop processor available today. The processor delivers the best symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) capabilities and the most advanced floating point capabilities available in the PowerPC portfolio. These features make the PowerPC 604e microprocessor ideal for high-end Macintosh and Mac-compatible systems, UNIX workstations and servers, and multiprocessing systems.
"Our RS/6000 customers challenge us constantly to provide them with the best possible solutions, and these high-performance PowerPC microprocessors will help us continue to do just that," said Tony Befi, vice president, IBM RS/6000 development.
"Innovation breeds innovation," said Phil Pompa, vice president of marketing and strategic planning, UMAX Computer Corporation. From what we¹ve experienced with the increased performance available in the new PowerPC 604e processor, UMAX will be able to dramatically extend our high-end Macintosh computers."
"The performance attributes of the PowerPC 604e processor really strengthen the competitiveness of our scalable SMP architecture," said Didier Breton, deputy president of the Enterprise IS Division, Groupe Bull.
The PowerPC 750/740 and PowerPC 604e microprocessors were designed by engineers from IBM and Motorola at the Somerset Design Center in Austin, Texas.
IBM and Motorola will separately manufacture and market the PowerPC 750/740 microprocessors and the advanced PowerPC 604e microprocessors. The companies will release pricing and availability information individually.
Corporate background information can be found in individual pricing and availability press releases.
Design Highlights
The design of the PowerPC 750/740 microprocessors is innovative in several key areas - particularly in its level two cache implementation - and boosts performance for Mac OS applications while retaining the low power features pioneered in previous PowerPC designs. The design innovations include:
Key Specifications
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Manufacturing Technology Highlights The leap in clock speed on the PowerPC 604e, from a previous high of 250 MHz to 350 MHz, demonstrates the performance capability that can be delivered by advanced manufacturing process technology. The technology, first introduced by the two companies last month, is an industry leading quarter-micron technology. Quarter-micron refers to the width of the circuit lines on a processor¹s silicon.
Key Specifications
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Performance depends upon processor clock, bus speed ratio and L2 subsystem size. System configurations to achieve the SPEC benchmark results above are: (1) 266 MHz PowerPC 750/740 processor, 66 MHz system bus and 1 megabyte of L2 cache; (2) 350 MHz PowerPC 604e processor, 71 MHz system bus and 1 megabyte of L2 cache.