NEC mass-produces Cube GPUs
Nintendo's GameCube looks to be on schedule and well into production
NEC has announced that their new manufacturing facility in Southern Japan, which cost $761 million to put together, has been producing Graphics Processing Units for Nintendo's GameCube with an output capacity of roughly 10,000 eight-inch wafers per month since January. Industry observers reckon that means 5-700,000 GPUs have been successfully produced, and quote a figure of $2.8 billion paid to NEC by Nintendo for their semiconductor needs. Unlike Sony, who complained that due to a shortage of its Emotion Engine chips and horrific yield percentages it would be forced to cut the allocation of PS2s in all territories late last year, Nintendo looks to have things in order. With the GameCube and GameBoy Advance both set for release this year, it's looks as though Nintendo are firmly on schedule. Related Feature - GameCube : The Science Bit
