Newsgroups: comp.sys.transputer
From: raw@stardust.sj.unisys.com (Bob Wipfel)
Subject: Re: Q to Inmos: Why 50,100 MHz T800s ?
Organization: Unisys Open Systems Group, San Jose
Date: 27 May 1994 16:45:43 GMT
Message-ID: <2s583n$hc1@ctnews2.sj.unisys.com>

In article <mwesth.39.769976584@elaine.ee.und.ac.za>, mwesth@elaine.ee.und.ac.za (M.J. VAN DER
WESTHUIZEN : PGRADS) writes:
|> Humble Opinion no 1:
|> Since I first started looking at transputers fours years 
|> ago, the 386s and 486s have increased from 20 MHz to 100 MHz clock speeds.  
|> Why hasn't the same happened to the T800.  Intel obviously did not spend all 
|> their resources on the pentium onlys as Inmos must be doing with the T9000.

  o  Money
  o  Process technology
  o  Portable VLSI design databases
  o  Short sighted UK government policy

Until SGS-Thomson aquired INMOS, INMOS had few options regarding process
technology, and only one fab in which to manufacture. When your manufacturing
capability is needed to support bread and butter products (like CLUTs) you
don't get much time to evolve VLSI processes. You also need money, lots of it,
to invest in the fab equipment capable of manufacturing at smaller dimension
and with profitable yield. INMOS didn't have much money and had suffered from
it's previous parent company's (Thorn EMI) neglect and underfunding. SGS-Thomson
saved INMOS, unlike the UK government who did absolutely nothing. With proper
investment a little earlier, INMOS could have done something with its existing
transputer designs. For example, convert the CAD database into a portable,
industry standard format, and do the necessary re-design work to fix the
processor's critical timing paths. The transputer design is now quite old, if
it had evolved in step with CAD and process technologies its speed would have
probably evolved also. 

Fortunately for INMOS, SGS-Thomson do have advanced process and manufacturing
capability. The T9000 is now manufactured on 8 inch wafers at Crolles in Southern
France. Although it's probably too late for TXXX style transputers, INMOS' new
processors will be state of the art. (Lets hope the T9000 speeds up to more than
just 30 Meg).

(Did you know that SGS-Thomson manufacture 486 chips for Cyrix here in the US!)

|> Humble Opinion no 2:
|> Wouldn't second-sourcing help to establish the transputer?

Yes, it probably would. Portable design databases tend to make this easier.

Bob.

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