IBM said Friday it would release a new family of chips for Net appliances.
The company said its PowerPC Internet Appliance Platform (IAP) includes a microprocessor and a
series of optional features in a system-on-a-chip design. Manufacturers can select precisely
which features they want.
IBM says that with PowerPC IAP, it will assemble most of the chip in advance but that
manufacturers can still add unique features for their specific product. That will encourage
innovation by manufacturers, IBM claimed.
“We’re merging custom chip technology with consumer electronic products,” said Scottie Ginn,
IBM Miroelectronics’ vice president for pervasive technology. “The one-size-fits-all days of PC
microprocessors are over. Consumer electronics that attach to the Internet will come in all types
of sizes and shapes, each demanding unique things of the chips that drive them.”
IBM said that the chipset is part of its strategy to be involved in all manner of ubiquitous
computing. It said it is actively researching chipsets that support features such as speech
recognition and encryption without consuming more power.
The company did not provide precise availability and pricing information about the new chips.