Monday, February 23, 2004, 11:00 am

Motorola announces new G4 chip

By AppleInsider Staff

According to the Register, the soon to be spun off Motorola chip division has updated its G4-class PowerPC processor, the MPC7447, taking the part to 1.5GHz, paving the way for one more PowerBook G4 update before the line before its upgraded to IBM's 90nm G5 chip, the 970FX.

Dubbed the 7447A, the chip adds on-the-fly clock frequency adjustment, allowing system makers to run at reduced frequencies according to workload. Additionally, the chip is said to features temperature-sensing diodes used to monitor the chip's die temperature.

1.42GHz samples of the 7447A chip are shipping in quantities to "selected customers" for $245 a go, in batches of 10,000 CPUs, according to the article. The chip is expected in production quantities sometime in the next 3 to 6 months.