Sony might be outsourcing RSX GPU production to TSMC and IBM

[NV55]

"Sony is likely to outsource production of RSX chips to IBM or Taiwan
Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), according to sources at
Taiwan contract makers."


http://www.digitimes.com/systems/a20060221A2006.html


It's possible that Sony is outsourcing RSX production in addition to
producing RSX themselves to ensure a large suppy of GPUs for PS3
launch, whenever that might be.

 

[John Lewis]

"Sony is likely to outsource production of RSX chips to IBM or Taiwan
Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), according to sources at
Taiwan contract makers."

Seems logical to me. nVidia has a very successful track record of
their designs already with TSMC, and no doubt the pre-production RSX
parts are already fabbed there. Makes the production cycle far
shorter not having to port to an in-house silicon process. I suspect
that the port to the in-house Sony process will be post-shipment
phase-2 silicon and be combined with a cost-reducing die-shrink.

John Lewis