Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!watmath!att!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!ginosko!uunet!mcvax!ukc!castle!hwcs!zen!frank From: frank@zen.co.uk (Frank Wales) Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp Subject: Re: HP Precision Architecture and Hitachi Keywords: HP-PA, VLSI, PA+, second sources Message-ID: <1684@zen.co.uk> Date: 9 Aug 89 11:29:49 GMT References: <1678@zen.co.uk> <582@mmlai.UUCP> Reply-To: frank@zen.co.uk (Frank Wales) Organization: Zengrange Limited, Leeds, England Lines: 37 In article <582@mmlai.UUCP> burzio@mmlai.UUCP (Anthony Burzio) writes: >In article <1678@zen.co.uk>, vic@zen.co.uk (Victor Gavin) writes: >> I have been informed (and thus would like to share my mis-information) >> that HP and Hitachi have signed an agreement whereby HP get hold of >> some of Hitachi's chip fabrication technology in exchange for >> Precision Architecture. > >My DEC rag said that a CMOS chip for HP-PA running about 100 MIPS >would be in production around 1992! Imaging a 4 processor 8xx series >machine running the Apollo multi-processing software :-) [A *DEC* rag? Have they lost their presence of mind?] According to Joel Birnbaum (HP Labs Head Honcho for Spectrum), a CMOS micro version existed at least two years ago. Any idea what happened to it? [And there was I hoping for Spectrum calculators; anyone for an HP-841S?] Also, yesterday I noted the following in the UK rag 'Mini-Micro News', August 1989: "HP is reportedly talking to Hitachi and VLSI Technology about fabricating the next generation processor, known as PA Plus. "HP would be unlikely to encourage widespread 'cloning' of the processor, and would probably limit fabrication to two sources. "The new PA Plus processor is said to include features taken from the recently acquired Apollo Computer's Prism RISC design, and is expected to include support for multi-processing." [That didn't take long! Also, doesn't PA have multi-processing support in any case?] Note the circumspection in the article ("is reportedly", "would probably", "is said to", "is expected to"). It's still interesting, though. -- Frank Wales, Systems Manager, [frank@zen.co.uk<->mcvax!zen.co.uk!frank] Zengrange Ltd., Greenfield Rd., Leeds, ENGLAND, LS9 8DB. (+44) 532 489048 x217