IBM Corp told us that the PowerPC 620’s design and development problem was due in large part to the Somerset lab’s lack of resources. It says there were too many joint processor plans in the pipeline, too few people in the organization to achieve even the most simplified plans, and not enough experienced in symmetric multiprocessing. IBM says the PowerPC design shop has hired a further 200 staff, including folks drawn internally from the AS/400 group. Motorola Inc says Somerset’s engineering and design staff has been increased by 30% recently. Neither will say exactly how many employees are assigned to Somerset.
