[H]ardNews 5th Edition

GeForceFX 5800 MIA:

We have now confirmed through multiple sources that it is highly likely that the GeForceFX 5800 (yes, non-Ultra & Ultra) will never show up in major US retail outlets in any quantity whatsoever. I think there are several factors surrounding this and Vince Freeman over at HardwareCentral has some insight in an editorial.

While it's unknown just what fate will befall the GeForce FX 5800 Ultra, it's becoming clear that there are definite allocation issues with Nvidia's high-end chips. Whether it's fabrication partner TSMC failing to make the grade, or issues concerning the card design, I sense that card vendors are waiting for Nvidia to exhale and get them some chips.

Actually I think the guillotine has already fallen and we just have not heard the head hit the basket yet.

Asustek Notebooks:

Asus has been known to build some pretty healthy notebooks and this Digitimes story seems to tell that they will be expanding on that.

Asustek will pay NT$680 million for the factory and NT$300 million for production equipment. After the assets are formally transferred on June 30, Asustek will announce the value of the material stock it will purchase from ECS.

Flasher Spotted:

Blair lets us know that if you are planning on flashing the BIOS on your GF3 or GF4 video card, TechConnect has new version posted. Keep in mind this is not something you should be doing unless you have a full handle on what the outcome might be.

AMD Plans:

At 2PM PST today you can listen in to what AMD plans are for the future. The webcast will be here, registration is free.

Cough Sputter Cough:

SiliconStrategies is reporting that the semiconductor market stalled in February due to impending war with Iraq.

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The recovery in the worldwide market for semiconductors stalled in February, due to a combination of seasonal flatness and political uncertainty ahead of the Iraq conflict, but can still score double-digit growth for the year according to the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA).

Also check out their story on 90-nm production at IBM and UMC.

Moore's Law Out?

No, it is not out yet, but it seems that some folks are getting closer. You have to check out the pictures of the "micromachining".

While clever engineers have found ways to push the limits of what is physically possible with optical lithography, companies like Mapper Lithography in the Netherlands are experimenting with new methods.