Intel has delivered small volumes of one of its Alviso core-logic chipsets, the 915GM, to Taiwan notebook makers, for sample production, with volume shipments of the chips to begin on January 18, 2005, according to sources at Taiwan notebook makers.
Intel also plans to start volume shipments of another Alviso core-logic chipset, the 915PM, to notebook makers in mid-February 2005, the sources said.
Intel hopes that the first-quarter launch of the 915PM/GM chipsets, along with the new Dothan CPU (supporting a 533MHz FSB), will encourage the notebook industry to migrate to its Sonoma platform, which would also help to alleviate the current tight supply of some Centrino chipsets and CPUs, including 855GM chipsets and the Pentium M 715 (1.5GHz) and Celeron M 340 (1.5GHz) CPUs.
Supply of the 855GM chipsets currently falls short of demand by about 20% since fourth-quarter notebook shipments are far greater than vendors had anticipated, the sources stated.
Meanwhile, a shortage of Pentium M 715 parts has forced some vendors to use the Pentium M 725 or higher parts in their entry-level notebooks, the sources added.
However, by the first quarter of 2005, the complete Dell notebook lineup and the majority of Hewlett-Packard’s (HP) Centrino notebooks are expected to have migrated to the Sonoma platform, and Acer is expected to complete the transition in the second quarter of next year, according to the sources.




