NEC Corp will begin sample shipments of its top-end 32-bit microprocessor, the V70, in June in Japan. The part is a true 32-bit version of the V60; the latter has a 16-bit bus. NEC rates the 20MHz V70 at 6.6 MIPS, comparable with the performance of the Motorola 68020. NEC says that the V70 includes fault-tolerant and error detection features. Initial price of the part is $682, and NEC plans to produce them at a rate of 20,000 a month from August. It plans to follow up with the V80, adding a large internal cache memory, next year. The V70 is upwards-compatible with the Intel 8088 and 8086, but not with the 80286 or 80386.
