IBM's 64-bit 1.8 GHz PowerPC 970 CPU

is due out late next year according to this Forbes.com article. CPUs currently used in Macs and PCs process data in 32-bits so the new PowerPC 970 chip will process twice as much data per clock cycle than the current ones. The PowerPC is a RISC processor that processes data faster than Intel's and AMD's CISC processors on a per clock cycle basis. But the Intel and AMD chips run at faster clock cycles or Hz. The fastest Motorola PowerPC G4 CPU used in Macs today is a 32-bit RISC processor running at 1.25 GHz. Intel's CISC processors have hit 2.8 GHz. Here is IBM's press release. [Dana Baggett]