via Joystiq


Reports that Xbox 360's Jasper chipset will begin shipping in August continue to hum along, as China Economic News Service has named three Taiwanese companies that have been contracted to manufacture, test and package the pair of 65nm microprocessors in preparation for a summer rollout. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) will build the chips, Advanced Semiconductor Engineering will test and package them, and Nanya will supply flip-chip packaging substrates (which sure do sound important). The Jasper combo will ideally use less power, simplify cooling and, most importantly, cut back on the console's jibba jabba.

Industry analysts have also pegged TSMC as the primary candidate for Valhalla chipset production (in addition to the Jasper contract, TSMC has also built 90nm chips for an older version of Xbox 360). Valhalla is rumored to be a single super-chip that combines the properties of a 65nm CPU and 65nm GPU, and is expected to be incorporated into Xbox 360 hardware in the fall of 2009.