The K7/Athlon, meanwhile, may officially be announced later this afternoon in a conference call.
Behind closed doors, IBM is demonstrating the computer at PC Expo here, according to sources.
IBM would not comment.
A 600-MHz Athlon, one source said, will equal a 700-MHz Pentium III.
Test drivers of beta models say the chip “smokes.”
Along with IBM, Compaq Computer is expected to release Athlon systems later this summer.
A press conference today at 2:30 p.m. PT may provide details on the K7/Athlon release.
Euphoria, however, must be tempered by history.
Foiled manufacturing strategies have led to severe quarterly financial losses in the past two years despite market share gains.
The company has said it expects losses for the current quarter and is in the midst of layoffs.
Still, the opportunity exists.
More profit for AMD?For AMD, inclusion in high-end PC lines could mean better profits.
Most AMD chips now compete against lower priced Celeron chips from Intel.
Brooke Crothers reported from New York and Michael Kanellos from San Francisco.
