SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- In its latest move to attack Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and Intel Corp. in the portable space, Transmeta Corp. is readying its first x86-based microprocessor lines, built around a 0.13-micron process technology, sources said.
The new chips, dubbed the TM5500 and TM5800, are the latest members of the company's Crusoe family of x86-based processors, sources said.
The Santa Clara-based company will roll out these chips on June 26. The company declined to comment, however.
Geared for notebook PCs and related portable systems, the new processors will run at speeds between 600- to 800-MHz, depending on the model, sources added.
A 1-GHz version is due out later in the year or so. At present, Transmeta's fastest chip runs at speeds of 600-MHz.
Both the TM5500 and TM5800 have 128-KB of L1 cache. Meanwhile, the TM5800 has 512-KB of L2 cache. Both chips also include a new 4.2 version of its patented software-based "code morphing" technology, which boosts the overall performance and battery life in systems.
In total, the new chips from Transmeta are 50% faster than its previous chips. They also improve power consumption by 20% over previous chips.
It's unclear which silicon foundry will make these chips. At present, Transmeta reportedly uses two foundries--IBM Microelectronics and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd.
But it is clear that Transmeta hopes to regain some momentum in the x86-based notebook processor space. In recent times, AMD, Intel, and Taiwan's Via Technologies Inc. have rolled out new and competitive processors for notebook PCs.
On the other hand, Transmeta may have taken the lead in this market--at least from a technical standpoint. Recently, AMD and Intel separately announced processors for the notebook space--based on 0.18-micron technology.
But Via recently announced perhaps the world's first chips based on 0.13-micron technology. Via's processors are designed for desktop and notebook applications.
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