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Intel New Process Makes CPUs Cheaper
~Maximum PC
Intel has produced its first CPUs using larger 300mm wafers, which is expected to significantly reduce the cost of processors. Chips produced at the D1C factory in Hillsboro, Oregon are expected to reach consumers by early next year.
The new wafers offer nearly twice the surface area of the standard 200mm wafer. Intel will also get a bump in yield, as the D1C will be using a 0.13-micron process with copper interconnects. Intel's current line of Celeron, Pentium III, Xeon and Pentium 4 CPUs are produced on a 0.18-micron process. The company has already shown off the 0.13-micron or "Tualatin" version of the Pentium III in notebooks. Tualatin is expected to hit notebooks initially, with the chip being installed in desktop machines later this year.
Despite predictions that Intel could kill the Penium III, an Intel spokesman said the company has no plans to end the life of the P-III. In fact, later this year, a stepping of the 815 chipset is expected that will let users run the smaller, cooler and faster P-III.
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