Intel: 65nm output to surpass 90nm production Q3 06

Intel's first 65nm microprocessors are due to ship at the end of this year, with volume shipments taking place in Q1 2006. However, the company revealed yesterday it expects 65nm output numbers to surpass those of 90nm parts as quickly as Q3 2006.

The first Intel chip fabbed at 65nm is expected to be 'Yonah', the dual-core next-generation Pentium M part that will ship with 'Napa', the chip giant's third-generation Centrino platform. Yonah features a number of tweaks over today's 'Dothan' PMs, including the use of a 667MHz frontside bus and support for SSE 3.

Yonah will be quickly followed by 'Presler' and 'Cedarmill', the dual- and single-core 65nm Pentium D parts that will succeed the 90nm 'Smithfield' due to ship next quarter. Yonah will be available as a single-core part too, it is believed.

'Dempsey', the 65nm dual-core Xeon part, is due in Q1 2006, too.

Intel will clearly be pushing all these chips aggressively, and while 65nm process yields might not yet be on a par with 90nm yields - as you'd expect - the chip maker suggested yields will be at a "world class" level by the time volume production kicks in, ie. Q1 2006. Intel's D1D and D1C fabs in Oregon, 12C in Arizona and 24E in Ireland will be used to punch out 65nm parts, Robert J. Baker, Intel's senior vice president and general manager of the Technology and Manufacturing Group, said yesterday.

Intel also revealed that by the end of the year, 36 per cent of the chips it ships will go into mobile devices, up from 31 per cent now. ®

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