VLSI Unveils Two New Lines of Chips

VLSI Technology Inc. unveiled two new technologies that will pack more functions onto computer chips and reduce the energy needed to run the chips. The San Jose-based company will begin making chips with lines of circuitry just 0.20 micron wide late this year. The size of the circuitry determines the amount of space available for components on a computer chip. VLSI now makes chips with circuitry of 0.35 microns. VLSI’s new VSC10 technology will also use half as much power as its current chips, a process that will appeal to makers of video games, which face problems if their products use too much energy, VLSI said. The company said the price of the new chips would depend on the combination of technology requested by customers. VLSI shares rose 81.25 cents to close at $19.06 cents on Nasdaq.