IBM's Power6 processor to run at 4GHz in 2007

At a recent IEEE event IBM said it is gearing up to launch a 65nm Power processor

IBM has published details of its forthcoming Power6 processor, due for launch in 2007. Contrary to speculation, the chip will launch as a 65nm device operating in excess of 4GHz, according to statements made by IBM at the IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference in San Francisco.

The news is a blow to Intel, which has suffered problems causing it to backtrack on plans to build 4GHz processors.

Dr Frank Soltis, an IBM chief scientist, said Intel had delivered 4GHz Pentium 4 chips to several manufacturers but subsequently needed to cancel plans because of problems with current leakage. Soltis said IBM had solved these problems by using a combination of 90nm and 65nm parts in the Power design.

The news should settle some speculation about the relative merits of the Power6 chip compared to rivals, such as Intel's Xeon and Itanium chips. A crucial issue for IT buyers is the so called Mips per Watt ratio, which indicates how much work a computer can do for a given amount of electricity. IBM has not made a statement about this characteristic of the Power6.

Previously the Power6 chip was slated for delivery to customers in 2006.