IBM, Sony, and Toshiba extend their pact on semiconductors

The three companies involved in the development of the revolutionary microprocessor Cell have decided to extend their partnership for the next five years. IBM (International Business Machines) has extended this agreement with the other two partners Sony and Toshiba. They would now continue to develop new consumer electronics semiconductors together.

This partnership originally began way back in 2000 and has resulted in the Cell processor, which would be showcased in the upcoming Sony Playstation 3 gaming console. IBM is already the world’s leading microprocessor developers for gaming consoles as they are also powering the Sony’s competitor Microsoft Xbox 360 gaming console.

The three companies declined to reveal the financial details of this renewed deal. They had together invested around $400 million in the first phase of the partnership. They are now seeking to invest further to develop the next-generation chips featuring 32-nanometer technology. These would be faster than the 90-nanometer and 65-nanometer chips used in today’s Cell technology.

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