Panasonic to beat Intel to the 45nm punch?

With Intel's Penryn launch looming on the horizon, the age of 45nm CPUs in almost upon us. While it has always seemed safe to assume that Intel would be the first to get a 45nm processor out of the gate, it's starting to look like the microprocessor giant might have a little competition in the form of Panasonic. According to the Register, the Japanese consumer electronics company plans to launch six new consumer Blu-ray recorders on November 1st, all of which will feature Panasonic's UniPhier (UNIversal Platform for High-quality Image Enhancing Revolution) 45nm video processing unit. That would make Panasonic the first company in the world to sell a 45nm chip to the consumer--beating Intel to the punch by a mere week. That's got to sting.

For more on the chips:
- see this Register Hardware story