IBM's Copper Chip Technology -- Powering the Next Generation of Electronics
September 1997: IBM announces a historic breakthrough, a manufacturing process technology that incorporates copper. This technology allows chip makers to use copper wires rather than traditional aluminum interconnects to link transistors in chips. This advance gave IBM a significant lead in creating the next generation of semiconductors.
October 1997: IBM introduces its first custom chip (ASIC) offering based on copper.
September 1998: Copper-based processors are manufactured and shipped from IBM's high-volume manufacturing facility in Burlington, Vermont, including PowerPCTM processors destined for Apple desktop computers. IBM is the first chip maker to take advantage of advanced copper processes.
December 1998: Popular Science Magazine cites IBM's copper technology as "The Best of What's New", as part of its "100 of the Year's Greatest Achievements in Science and Technology." Among benefits cited are its significant boost to processor speeds, as well as low power requirements.
May 3, 1999: IBM takes a technological lead with the introduction of the first server using copper -- S/390 G6 Parallel Enterprise Server. IBM's chip designers were able to increase system performance, speed and reliability up to 50 percent over its predecessor.
May 12, 1999: IBM and Nintendo announce the first video game system to incorporate IBM's cutting-edge copper chip technology. A custom-designed 400 MHz PowerPC-based central processor will be used in Nintendo's next-generation video game console expected to ship in time for the Year 2000 holiday season. IBM remains the only company to ship products using proven copper semiconductor technology.
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