Improved 360 CPU coming soon?
The Singaporean semiconductor manufacturer that manufactured Xbox 360’s processor is reportedly developing an improved CPU, most likely as replacement for the current chips in Microsoft’s console.
Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing has said it will produce a 45-nanometer processor for use in videogame consoles within the next 18 months. The company previously made 90nm and 65nm versions of the 360 processor, and based on its track record it’s a good bet this latest chip is bound for Microsoft’s console as well.
“We have customers’ activity for products in the CPU space that goes into a video-game device,” Chia Song Hwee, Chartered’s president and CEO, said when discussing the company’s 45nm manufacturing plans with analysts during a recent conference call.
Chia didn’t name the CPU customer but was likely referring to Microsoft, which uses Chartered to manufacture its Xbox 360 processor.
The 64-bit Xbox 360 processor is a custom chip based on three 3.2GHz Power PC cores. Chartered has so far produced 90nm and 65nm versions of the Xbox 360 processor for Microsoft using a SOI (Silicon-on-Insulator) process licensed from IBM.
Microsoft isn’t spilling the beans just yet: “We are constantly updating internal components on our consoles and therefore will not comment on the details of specific components,” a Microsoft representative said.
sources: Improved 360 CPU in the Works? and Improved Xbox 360 Processor
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[...] of console hardware, Kevin at Games Industry Wire reported that the Xbox 360 is coming up with a replacement for its current chips. Chartered Semiconductor, [...]