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IBM announced today that it has shipped 10 million Gekko processors for Nint
endo GameCube. Gekko, a customized 485 MhZ PowerPC processor based on IBM's .18 micron copper wire technology, is the result of a $1 billion multi-year contract between Nintendo and IBM. Satoru Iwata, President of Nintendo Co. Ltd. commented, "We are pleased to continue our long-standing affiliation with IBM. 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."

IBM Press Release:

  
IBM Ships 10 Millionth GameCube Processor to Nintendo

"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.

September 20, 2002

Jim - News Contributor, GameCubicle


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