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2005
more than 75 distinct products, making it the broadest portfolio of autonomic enabled products,
services and solutions in the industry.
In February, IBM, Sony Corporation, Sony Group and Toshiba Corporation disclose details of
their breakthrough jointly developed Cell microprocessor featuring supercomputer like
floating point performance with observed clock speeds greater than 4 Ghz. The team has
collaborated on the development of the Cell microprocessor at a joint design center established
in Austin, Tex., since March 2001. The prototype chip integrates 234 million transistors and is
fabricated with 90 nanometer SOI technology. Initial production of Cell is expected to begin at
IBM's 300mm wafer fabrication facility in East Fishkill, N.Y., followed by Sony Group's
Nagasaki Fab. In August, the team releases key documents that describe details of the Cell
Broadband Engine Architecture as the next major milestone in the Cell project. In November,
IBM and Sony release new software components and documentation including extensions to
Linux that support Cell programming for the Cell Broadband Engine Architecture technology.
The company introduces the IBM PowerPC 970MP, the newest member of the Power
Architecture family of microprocessors.
IBM announces the availability of its fourth generation silicon germanium (SiGe) foundry
technology 8HP with more than twice the performance of the previous generation. The new
130 nanometer SiGe bipolar complementary metal oxide semiconductor (BiCMOS) foundry
technology can reduce the cost of mobile consumer products, advance high bandwidth wireless
communications and lead to innovative new applications, such as collision avoidance automobile
radar.
Fireman's Fund Insurance Company in January selects IBM to create an on demand technology
infrastructure that will automate many IT tasks, substantially increase system performance and
free up capital for growth oriented activities. In May, Fireman's Fund awards IBM a ten year,
$94 million contract to modernize a major portion of the property casualty insurer s application,
development and maintenance software into an On Demand infrastructure that could reduce the
number of major applications by 70 percent while improving customer service.
IBM announces the availability of Grid Accelerated Design Service, an IBM Global Services
offering to help clients implement more productive Grid solutions.
The company's Engineering & Technology Services organization says it will offer new design
services to help companies integrate the microprocessor technology known as Cell into a wide
range of electronics products.
IBM reports that it will launch a new service that allows companies to tap into IBM's award
winning product design and usability expertise, creating breakthrough products for other
companies. With this new service part of IBM's efforts to gain share of a $500 billion market
opportunity called Business Performance Transformation Services IBM design experts will
consult directly with clients who want insight into how their consumers or customers might
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