Samsung plans to unveil an Alpha microprocessor featuring a clock speed as high as 1.6GHz.

A Samsung spokesman said the company will launch samples of a 1.4-to-1.6GHz chip this year, with mass production expected sometime in the second quarter.

The announcement quells rumors that the Seoul, South Korea-based firm was pulling out of the 64-bit CPU business because it trailed efforts by Intel and AMD to commercialize 1GHz processors.

A full report is located at www.techweb.com.