'Rizal' microprocessor in the works

MANILA -- A team of Filipino designers is working on Rizal, the first all-Filipino-made microprocessor that may some day run mobile phones, MP3 players, and laptops, the Congressional Commission on Science and Technology, and Engineering (Comste) said.

In a press statement, Comste said Filipino technology firm BiTMICRO Networks Inc. is already in the design process of the Rizal processor that the firm hopes will be a Filipino brand that will give the country's engineering students and professionals an opportunity to hone their skills without leaving the country.

The firm is coordinating with the government, the academe, and the private sector to come out with a prototype chip by 2012, Comste said.
The project is expected to cost around P90 million for research and around P112 million for fabrication.(Jonathan de Santos/Sunnex)