The first 601 processors were introduced in an IBM RS/6000 workstation in October 1993 (alongside its more powerful multichip cousin IBM POWER2 line of processors) and the first Apple Power Macintoshes on March 14, 1994. The 601 was the first advanced single-chip implementation of the POWER/PowerPC architecture designed on a crash schedule to establish PowerPC in the marketplace and cement the AIM alliance.
In October 1993, IBM introduced its RS/6000 workstation with the 601 processor, accompanied by its more powerful POWER2 line. The following year, Apple launched its first Power Macintoshes on March 14, 1994. This marked the debut of the 601 as a single-chip implementation of the POWER/PowerPC architecture, designed to rapidly establish PowerPC in the market and strengthen the AIM partnership.