During a two-hour Web cast today, Craig Barrett, president and chief executive of Intel, said the Santa Clara company plans to unveil its 0.09-micron process technology by "early-2003."

Barrett also dropped hints that the company would roll out 0.09-micron chips as early as the "first quarter of 2003." Previously, the company said it would develop this technology by 2003, but declined to be specific about those plans.

Intel calls its 90-nm process as P862 and P1262. The P862 process is based on 8-inch wafers, while P1262 is built around 300-mm substrates. The process is based on copper-interconnects, low-k dielectrics, and other features.

At present, the Santa Clara-based chip giant is still ramping up its microprocessors and other chip lines, based on 0.13-micron process technology.

During the Web cast, Barrett insisted that the company would meet its previously-stated plan to spend $7.5 billion in terms of capital expenditures for 2001.

He gave no indication of the company's capital spending plans for 2002. But an Intel executive recently told the Asian Wall Street Journal that the company's capital spending for 2002 would be 10-20% below that of 2001.

In a newsletter to subscribers this month, IC Insights Inc. said it believes Intel's capital spending could fall to $4.5 billion in 2002(see Oct. 26 story).