Nvidia has announced an agreement with IBM Microelectronics in which IBM will serve as an additional manufacturer of the GeForce family of graphics chips. Nvidia's current manufacturer is Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC). Nvidia wanted more manufacturing capacity and was looking to avoid the pitfalls of working with just one producer, said Nvidia spokesman Derek Perez.

　　As previously reported, Nvidia had to delay the introduction of the top-of-the-line GeForce FX processor in part because TSMC, its only manufacturer at the time, was making the transition from the .15-micron manufacturing process to the new .13-micron manufacturing process. The new process allows chipmakers to produce smaller, faster, and less power-hungry chips.

　　When looking for an additional foundry, Nvidia also sought out technology that would help it boost performance, Perez said. This gave IBM a leg up on the competition. IBM is rivaled only by Intel in its chipmaking technology and research and development prowess. IBM has introduced a number of new chip-manufacturing technology breakthroughs over the years.

　　The chipmaker plans to continue its work with TSMC, even for its highest-performance chips, said Perez, who noted that the manufacturer has produced more than 200 million Nvidia graphics chips over the last five years.