January 1998 |
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| Updated January 30, 1998 | ||
Intergraph: Intel fray causes lossBy Reuters January 30, 1998 |
Intergraph (INGR) said yesterday that a
legal dispute with computer chip giant Intel (INTC) over
patent infringement had hurt its operating results for
the fourth quarter. Intergraph, which makes computer graphics systems, reported a net loss of 43 cents per share against a net loss of 71 cents for the same period a year ago. The year-ago figure included a 21-cents-per-share charge for the write down of specific assets, it said. |
Related
Stories Despite suit, Intergraph wants its Pentium IIs |
Direct Rambus price tag raises questionsBy Anthony Cataldo January 30, 1998 |
What will it cost a PC OEM to convert
from 100-MHz SDRAMs to Direct Rambus DRAMs, as prescribed
by Intel Corp? The question was one of the main topics of
discussion at DesignCon98, as news spread about Intel
floating a new SDRAM specification, ostensibly to ease
the transition. Rambus Inc. (Mountain View, Calif.) maintains that Direct RDRAMs, which are scheduled to begin sampling in 64-Mbit densities in the second half of the year, will be 5 percent to 10 percent more expensive than SDRAM-100 parts, which are expected to roll out by the second quarter. Those SDRAMs are expected to be coupled with Intel's 440BX chip set for Pentium II systems. |
|
All Wintel, all the timeBy Jai Singh January 30, 1998 |
Life is full of choices, they say, but
not if you live on the computing planet. To be sure, everyone ascribes to the notion of choice. Users demand it. Lawmakers legislate it. Regulators enforce it. Even vendors want it, sort of. Their interpretation of the word depends on which side of the computing platform one stands. |
|
| Updated January 29, 1998 | ||
Sony Unimpressed By 333-MHz ChipBy Kristen Kenedy January 28, 1998 |
Sony Electronics will not add a 333-MHz
system to its lineup of Vaio PCs, a spokesman for the
company told Computer Retail Week. "An 11 percent increase in performance doesn't seem that big of a sell to customers," the spokesman said. Sony offers systems based on Intel 200-MHz, 233-MHz, 266-MHz, and 300-MHz CPUs. However, Sony is eyeing the sub-$1,000 market, where sales have spiked, he said. The company is developing a low-cost PC that will provide customers with the performance expected in today's market, the spokesman said, but Sony has not announced a ship date for such a system. |
|
AMD reacts to Intel, cuts pricesBy Michael Kanellos January 28, 1998 |
Advanced Micro Devices this week reduced
chip prices in reaction to price cuts from market leader
Intel. AMD has vowed to keep its processors at 25 percent below the nearest Intel equivalent. With these cuts, the Sunnyvale, California, company maintains its promise. Under the new pricing structure, the 233-MHz version of the K6 will sell for $145, down 44 percent from $225, according to AMD spokesman David Frink. |
Related Stories |
Intel gets serious about low-cost chipsBy Michael Kanellos January 28, 1998 |
Intel (INTC) will release its Pentium II
for sub-$1,000 consumer PCs in April, turning up the heat
in the low-cost chip market, currently a three-way
slugfest between Intel, Advanced Micro Devices, and
Cyrix. The chip, code-named Covington, is a "cacheless" Pentium II processor, meaning that Intel has eliminated the extra, pricey memory currently built into Pentium II chips. One of the first vendors to adopt the chip will be Compaq. |
Related Stories |
Deschutes
Debuts
|
Get your good-byes in now: This may be the swan song of Intel's 66-MHz system bus. The first Deschutes processor, a 333-MHz incarnation of the Pentium II announced in January, is likely to be the last new high-powered desktop CPU to use a memory bus any slower than 100 MHz. Manufactured on a 0.25µ process, the chip has a higher core frequency and a smaller die than its predecessors, but it is still subject to the more than four-year-old bus bottleneck (which should be alleviated with subsequent Deschutes designs later in the year). In the following pages, we review eight inaugural 333-MHz systems: four so-called professional enthusiast PCs with Microsoft Windows 95 and four managed corporate machines running Windows NT 4.0. | PC Labs tests eight 333-MHz Pentium II PCs running Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0. |
| Updated January 28, 1998 | ||
Digital chip sale to Intel at riskBy Reuters January 28, 1998 |
Compaq Computer's (CPQ) buyout of
Digital Equipment (DEC) could imperil an earlier deal
between Digital and Intel (INTC), according to reports. Late last year, Digital agreed to sell a chip-making plant and production rights to its ultrafast Alpha processor to Intel for a package valued at $1.5 billion, including $700 million in cash. That deal is still under review by federal antitrust enforcers. |
|
CPU clone-makers wrestle with X86 compatibilityBy Alexander Wolfe January 27, 1998 |
Verifying the compatibility of an X86
clone processor is harder than it appears, according to
industry experts. Every new clone CPU must be tested to ensure that it can actually execute the entire X86 instruction set without any bugs or unexpected side effects. But engineers working toward this goal face one big stumbling block, according to Michael Slater, principal analyst at MicroDesign Resources (Sebastopol, Calif.). "The problem is the X86 architecture has never been a properly defined architecture," said Slater. "It's been an implementation, a de facto standard." |
Related Stories |
333-MHz Pentiums "Officially" ArriveBy Roger C. Lanctot January 27, 1998 |
Intel's official launch of the 333-MHz
Pentium II-based PCs came Tuesday without much fanfare in
the channel, given that retailers such as Best Buy,
Computer City SuperCenters, CompUSA, and Sun TV &
Appliance have been selling the systems since Christmas. OfficeMax, Best Buy, and Circuit City Stores didn't advertise any 333-MHz systems in their newspaper circulars last weekend, complying with an ad embargo date of Jan. 26. |
|
Intel Price Cuts And New Processors ProliferateBy Mark Harrington January 27, 1998 |
As it introduces its fastest
microprocessor to date in the 333-MHz Pentium II, Intel
is discussing a complex rollout schedule for new
processors and price changes through August. The 333-MHz Pentium II, officially announced Monday, is the first using a 0.25-micron manufacturing process that allows for increased core frequencies and reduced power consumption, Intel said. Manufacturers such as Compaq put 333-MHz product on retail shelves well before the introduction and were ready for Intel's announcement. |
|
Intel readies low-cost Pentium IIBy Michael Kanellos January 27 |
Intel (INTC) is expected to release its
Pentium II for sub-$1,000 consumer PCs in April, setting
the stage for a raft of new home computers based on
Intel's fastest chip architecture. The chip, code-named Covington, is a "cacheless" Pentium II processor, meaning that Intel has eliminated the extra, pricey memory currently built into Pentium II chips. One of the first vendors to adopt the chip will be Compaq. |
|
Intel slashes chip pricesBy Robert Lemos January 28, 1998 |
PC chip giant Intel Corp. trimmed
mainstream desktop processor prices up to 42 percent on
Tuesday, and slashed prices on its mobile offerings by up
to 51 percent. The cuts -- a quarterly ritual for the Santa Clara, Calif., company -- left the mainstream 200MHz Pentium MMX processor 42 percent lower at $123 in 1,000-unit quantities. |
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| Updated January 27, 1998 | ||
333:
Pentium II, the Third
|
With the 333 MHz model introduced on
January 26, Intel is sending the third version of the
Pentium II into the race. With a few changes to the new
processors details, it is supposedly cheaper to
manufacture than its predecessor and runs faster, too.
But as usual, being economical demands a small
renunciation in another area. The main data of the 'Deschutes', as Intel calls the new Pentium II processor internally, are quickly told: the processor core is not manufactured in 0,35-mm technology anymore, but in the more refined 0,25-mm process. This means that the manufacturer can produce more chips from one wafer, increasing the yield and thus lowering the costs. At the same time it also allows higher clock frequencies: Finer structures translate into a better distance between the interference voltage, enabling to lower the voltage supply (VCore) from presently 2,8 to 2,0 Volts. On the other hand this results in a lower power usage and therefore also reduces dissipation and heat generation. |
|
Intel reconsiders Rambus transitionJanuary 26, 1998 |
Intel Corp. may be rethinking its plan
of shifting the PC industry to Rambus-Direct DRAMs.
Sources told EE Times that Intel is developing a
memory-interface spec, reportedly called P133L, that will
support both Rambus-Direct and synchronous DRAMs. It was
unclear whether the spec would include double-data-rate
SDRAMs. The interface was said to be under development
for an unannounced core-logic chip set. Intel would not comment directly on the report. But a company spokesman said, "We are looking at ways to make a smooth transition from SDRAM to Rambus-Direct. The impetus is to make sure there are no hiccups that would prevent a higher-performance platform from getting to the end user." |
|
Merced may spell more Unix turmoilBy R. Scott Raynovich January 26, 1998 |
Almost every major Unix operating system
vendor wants a piece of Intel Corp.'s forthcoming 64-bit
chip, code-named Merced. The development of Merced, the first in a new 64-bit CPU family known as Intel Architecture 64 (IA-64), could give Unix vendors fresh opportunities to compete with Microsoft Windows NT and dip into the phenomenal success of Intel's aggressive price/performance strategy. However, industry observers say that the development of new operating systems for IA-64 is likely to generate turmoil for customers by further fragmenting the Unix operating system market. |
|
Intel cuts chip pricesBy Jim Davis January 26, 1998 |
Intel (INTC) today rolled out its
fastest processor to date, but more importantly for the
PC industry, the company is expected to speed up price
reductions on processors in the coming year. During 1998 Intel cut processor prices fairly steadily. But this year the pace may well accelerate as Intel rolls out new products to fill the need for processors that can be used in popular sub-$1,000 PCs. Even before next quarter's full round of price cuts, Intel is expected to reduce the price on its newest processor, according to analysts. |
|
Intel Buyout Of Chips And Technologies Almost FinalBy Kelly Spang January 23, 1998 |
Little more than a week after the U.S.
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced it wouldn't
block Intel's acquisition of Chips and Technologies, the
chip giant has completed its tender offer. By Jan. 31, Intel said it expects to complete the acquisition of remaining shares of Chips and Technologies by merging the San Jose, Calif., graphics chip maker into Intel Enterprise. |
|
Intel plans to finish Chips acquisitionStaff Reporter January 26, 1998 |
With the completion of its tender offer for outstanding shares of Chips and Technologies Inc., microprocessor giant Intel Corp. here plans to complete its acquisition of the San Jose company by Saturday, Jan. 31. | |
Intel attacks low-cost PC from all anglesBy Lisa DiCarlo January 26, 1998 |
Intel Corp. is continuing its vigorous
attack on the low-cost PC market, not just with its
cornerstone microprocessor but also with complementary
chip sets and motherboards. In the third quarter, Intel plans to deliver a low-cost chip set, called the 440LX-R, that will include limited functionality to help reduce system design costs, said sources close to the Santa Clara, Calif., company. |
|
New Pentium II, price cuts arriveBy Michael Kanellos and Jim Davis January 26, 1998 |
Intel (INTC) will debut its
second-generation, "Deschutes" Pentium II
today, while it cuts prices on its chips. Some computer
manufacturers are reducing prices on systems also. The release of the Deschutes Pentium II paves the way for personal computers that will reach a new level of high performance at the lowest price-performance points in PC history, reflecting a sea change in the industry's pricing structure. |
|
Merced grips Intel in verification viseBy Alexander Wolfe January 26, 1998 |
The rustic setting at Intel's Jones Farm Campus, here, belies the feverish activity under way inside the facility's semiconductor validation laboratory. Buffeted by the disclosure of two Pentium-related bugs last year--and with lingering memories of the infamous Pentium FDIV floating-point flaw of 1994--Intel in recent months has dramatically increased its efforts to develop improved techniques to stamp out glitches before microprocessor designs hit the fab lines, according to | |
Intel’s
Merced: Backers and Boycotts
|
As Intel ramps up for next year’s release of the IA-64 Merced chip, the company is gaining support from important backers in the workstation arena, but there is one notable holdout: Sun Microsystems. Although Sun has made a software commitment to the Merced platform with its Solaris operating system, the company has decided to eschew Merced in its hardware efforts. | Related Stories |
| Updated January 23, 1998 | ||
"Deschutes" Pentium II to debutBy Michael Kanellos and Jim Davis January 23, 1998 |
Intel (INTC) will debut its
second-generation, "Deschutes" Pentium II on
Monday, paving the way for personal computers that will
reach the highest performance standards yet, at the
lowest price-performance points in PC history, reflecting
a sea change in the industry's pricing structure. The next Pentium II will cost less than $700 for large-volume purchasers, a low introductory price compared to past high-end Intel chips, mirroring the free-fall in chip and PC prices at other end of the market spectrum, where sub-$1,000 systems are becoming increasingly commonplace. |
|
Intels Route 98: From Issos to MendocinoBy Andreas Stiller February, 1998 |
Instead of the expected rod Santa Claus
from Santa Clara actually brought us a present, the
Deschutes in form of a Pentium-II-333, that is supposed
to be launched on January 26. We baptized the first representative of the Pentium-II family in 0,25-µm technology Issos, because of its 333 MHz. It will be interesting to see how it survives the brawl with the competition, whose 0,25-µm K6-266 already did some trial rounds in our lab. This year commander Andrew the Grove must still fight many battles. For example with the Federal Trust Commission, that is not only a pain as far as the Chips & Technology takeover is concerned (the actual date for the transaction has now been postponed for the fifth time), but also might veto the deal with Digital. |
|
Leave Microsoft aloneBy Alexander Wolfe January 22, 1998 |
I could go on and on, but you get the
point. Indeed, in the software world, there's just no
case to be made that users are locked into Bill Gates's
vise grip. Contrast that to the situation on the hardware side of the desktop-computing business. There's the Intel architecture and there's the . . .uh, Intel architecture. As an alternative, of course, there's the Intel architecture. (Sparc, MIPS, Alpha and PowerPC are among the competing microprocessors, but I would argue that they are mainly factors in workstations or embedded applications, not the desktop.) |
|
| Updated January 19, 1998 | ||
Intel ad subsidies raising eyebrowsBy Michael Kanellos January 16, 1998 |
A multimillion-dollar advertising
program from Intel (INTC) is heating up the debate on
where journalism ends and advertising begins on the Web. At the center of the debate is the "Intel Inside Optimized Content" program, a four-month-old campaign that essentially provides additional revenues to Web publishers that create special pages touting the performance benefit of the Pentium II processor. |
|
Next Pentium II due this monthBy Michael Kanellos January 16, 1998 |
At the end of this month, Intel's (INTC)
second-generation Pentium II processor will appear in the
fastest breed of PCs, heralding a new level of
high-performance personal computing. The new Pentium II chip, dubbed Deschutes, initially will be targeted at desktop and server computers and is expected to be introduced at a speed of 333 MHz this month. Meanwhile, the first Pentium II designed for notebook PCs--to date limited to the aging Pentium processor--will be released by summer, according to sources familiar with both announcements. Notebook versions will be introduced at a speed of 233 MHz. |
|
Intel's Deschutes chip gets major vendor backingBy Karen J. Bannan January 16, 1998 |
In two weeks Intel Corp. will unveil its
333MHz Pentium II processors with a 66MHz bus to a chorus
of new servers from nearly every major systems vendor. The new Pentium, code-named Deschutes, is targeted for desktop systems to midrange servers and is the first in a line of chips designed for specific systems. |
|
| Updated January 16, 1998 | ||
Does "Intel Inside" Matter?By Fred Langa January 14, 1998 |
I depend on my PCs for my livelihood.
That ol' FUD factor -- Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt -- made
me hesitant to try anything other than genuine Intel
CPUs. What if a non-Intel CPU had some subtle internal
weirdness that hosed my work? Ulp! Then I got the upgrade bug, which led me to try some clock-doubler and -tripler upgrade kits on some older, nonessential 486-based systems. The upgrade kits used 486-class chips from AMD and Cyrix, and they worked great, extending the lives of systems that otherwise were headed for resale or the parts bin. The non-Intel upgrades worked so well I had a major "hmmmm" moment in thinking about my pro-Intel bias. |
|
Pentium II prices to continue downwardBy Michael Kanellos January 15, 1998 |
Desktop and processor prices are nowhere
near rock bottom, analysts say, and will continue on
their downward trajectory because of upcoming innovations
and product shifts from Intel (INTC) as well as a more
competitive marketplace. Although the company said that its overall profit margins would decline to 55 from 60 percent next year in a conference call with analysts yesterday, observers believe that the company has more room for price movement than the projected decrease might indicate. |
|
New MMX on Intel Katmai chipBy Michael Kanellos January 15, 1998 |
Intel (INTC) will ship a new processor
technology dubbed Katmai in 1999, designed to boost a
computer's ability to handle multimedia and run at speeds
starting at about 500 MHz, company executives revealed. The Katmai technology was formerly known as "MMX 2" and essentially represents the next phase in Intel's visual computing strategy, which makes PCs much like the powerful workstation computers of today, which are adept at handling 3D graphics, full-motion video, and speech recognition. |
|
Taiwanese Readying Intel Deschutes -Based NotebooksBy Mark LaPedus January 15, 1998 |
Several Taiwan notebook makers here in
Taipei have jumped the gun, announcing products based on
a yet-to-be-introduced mobile version of Intel Corp.'s
Pentium II chip, codenamed Deschutes. Acer Inc., Clevo Co., Twinhead International Inc., and other Taiwan notebook makers this year will ship products based on Deschutes, a Pentium II-level chip that will come in 233-, 266-, and 300-MHz speed grades. Processor prices range from $500 to $900, depending on the product, sources said. |
|
Intel to air spoof for Super BowlBy Michael Kanellos January 15, 1998 |
Intel (INTC) will combine TV viewing and
Web browsing in Super Bowl ads promoting its Pentium II
chip. The ads, which will air during the second and fourth quarter of the game, will follow the conventions of a whodunit. |
|
| Updated January 15, 1998 | ||
Intel Katmai chips due in 1999By Michael Kanellos January 14, 1998 |
Intel will ship a new processor
technology dubbed Katmai in 1999, designed to enhance
complex applications such as 3D graphics and speech
recognition and run at speeds starting at about 500 MHz,
company executives revealed today. The Katmai technology was formerly known as "MMX 2" and essentially represents the next phase in Intel's visual computing strategy. Like MMX, Katmai is a series of instructions incorporated into Intel processors, said Richard Dracott, marketing manager for Intel. |
|
Intel Aims Katmai At Corporate MarketBy Kelly Spang January 14, 1998 |
Intel's next-generation processor, code
named Katmai, will not drastically differ from the form
factor of the successful Pentium II, but will be aimed,
from the start, at the corporate market. The Katmai processor, which was announced today, is scheduled to ship in the first half of 1999 and will be part of the Pentium II architecture. Katmai chips include 70 new instructions to extend the current capabilities of MMX. By the end of 1998, the Pentium II will top out at 450 MHz, so it is likely that Katmai will come in at speeds upwards of 500 MHz. |
|
Intel sheds light on forthcoming 'Katmai' processorsBy Lisa DiCarlo January 14, 1998 |
Intel Corp. today disclosed some
technical details about the processor family, code-named
Katmai, that will surface in the first half of 1999. The 32-bit chips will incorporate 70 new MMX instructions that improve floating-point and 3D-intensive application performance, as well as next-generation technologies such as natural-speech recognition and other human interface types. |
|
Intel Discloses MMX-2 As AMD, Cyrix UniteBy Mark Hachman January 14, 1998 |
Putting an end to industry speculation,
Intel Corp. disclosed that the Katmai processor in 1999
will feature the successor to Intel's existing MMX
technology. The announcement forced Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and Cyrix Corp. to disclose that they, too, had unified on their own separate multimedia instruction standard, a hybrid set combined from both companies. Centaur Technology Inc., a subsidiary of Integrated Device Technology Inc., has reportedly agreed to support the alternative standard. |
|
AMD Makes High-Risk GambleBy Steven Burke January 14, 1998 |
After posting a loss of $12.3 million
for the latest quarter, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) CEO
Jerry Sanders warned Wall Street analysts that the
company is embarking on a no-holds-barred high-risk
strategy to quickly improve 0.25-micron yields on its
hot-selling K6 processor. "We have commenced our program to ramp 0.25-micron K6 wafer product in Fab 25 at the fastest practical rate," said Sanders. "This is a high-risk strategy in that we have not yet demonstrated the yield in Fab 25 for 0.25 microns. ... The first significant 0.25-micron shipments in Fab 25 will not occur before March." |
|
Non-Intel processors make gainsBy Michael Kanellos January 14, 1998 |
Intel not inside appears to be a growing
phenomenon in the retail world. Consumer mania for sub-$1,000 computers drove up sales and market shares for computers powered by processors from Advanced Micro Devices and Cyrix at the end of 1998. While it remains to be seen whether the trend will continue, recent design wins by these companies and computer pricing trends seem to indicate that the Intel alternatives will continue to find a place on store shelves. |
|
Sun to pass on Merced, will stick with SparcBy Alexander Wolfe January 15, 1998 |
Despite industry speculation about a
possible long-term tilt toward Intel's 64-bit Merced
architecture, Sun Microsystems Inc. last week
emphatically insisted it will stick with its Sparc RISC
processor family now and in the future. Moreover, Sun
said it will remain committed to Unix and won't make a
move to the increasingly popular Windows NT operating
system--something many of its workstation competitors
have done. "We have no intention to ever use an Intel microprocessor as the basis of our platform," said Robert Novak, group manager for desktop workstations at Sun. "In addition, we will not be putting Windows NT on the Sparc machine." |
|
Intel Forms Architecture GroupBy Patrick Waurzyniak January 14, 1998 |
Intel Corp., Santa Clara, Calif., on
Wednesday said it had formed the Intel Architecture (IA)
Business Group, a new business unit that will be headed
by Intel executive vice president Paul S. Otellini. Otellini, who will be responsible for managing all Intel architecture roadmaps, strategies, and resources between Intel's Business Platform Group, the Consumer Products Group, the Mobile/Handheld Products Group, and the Enterprise Server Group, will continue to report to Intel's Executive Office, the company said. |
|
Intel's 4Q Margins Decline, But Earnings Exceed EstimatesBy Mark Hachman January 14, 1998 |
A drop in gross margins helped push down
Intel Corp.'s profits by nearly 9% in the final quarter
of 1998, despite strong sales of the company's newest
processors. Intel reported a net income of $1.7 billion for the three months ended Dec. 27, down from the $1.9 billion it posted during the same period a year ago. But revenues once again set a new record, climbing to $6.5 billion from $6.4 billion. First quarter 1998 revenues should be approximately flat, however, executives said. |
|
Intel shares dip as future concerns growBy Margaret Kane January 14, 1998 |
Intel Corp. may have beaten estimates
when it turned in fourth-quarter results last night, but
analysts today weren't as optimistic about the company's
future. The Santa Clara, Calif., company's stock was off $2.19 to $74.75 in midmorning trading after several analysts revised their estimates for Intel's 1998 earnings. |
|
| Updated January 14, 1998 | ||
FTC won't block Intel's acquisition of C&TBy Margaret Kane January 13, 1998 |
The Federal Trade Commission will not
try to block Intel Corp.'s $420 million acquisition of
Chips and Technologies Inc., the agency said today in a
statement. However, the FTC plans to continue to investigate the deal because of concerns about Intel's dominance of the chip market. |
|
FTC clears way for Intel's 3-D graphics bidBy Rick Boyd-Merritt Januar 14, 1998 |
The Federal Trade Commission cleared the way for Intel Corp. to enter the 3-D and graphics markets on Tuesday, when the commission ruled it would not seek a preliminary injunction to block Intel's planned acquisition of graphics-chip maker Chips and Technologies Inc. (San Jose). Intel co-developed its initial entry into this market-the i740 3-D graphics accelerator--with C&T and Real 3-D, a unit of Lockheed Martin. Intel has widely previewed the chip in private meetings at Siggraph and Comdex/Fall last year, but in the wake of the FTC investigation has yet to launch the accelerator. | |
Intel Gets Fed's Preliminary OK On C&T DealBy By Mark Hachman January 13, 1998 |
Intel Corp.'s pending acquisition of
Chips and Technologies Inc. has been granted a
preliminary approval by the Federal Trade Commission. However, because of concerns about the acquisition's impact in markets "for certain computer components", among those graphics chips, the FTC will "continue the investigation into the lawfulness of the acquisition." |
|
FTC won't fight Intel's Chips acquisitionStaff Reporter January 13, 1998 |
Intel Corp. here today said the Federal
Trade Commission has informed the company that it will
not seek a preliminary in the Intel's acquisition of
Chips and Technologies Inc. For more than four months, the FTC probe delayed completion of Intel's tender offer for Chips and Technologies stock. Intel said it plans to end its $17.50 per share tender offer at 8 p.m. EST on Jan. 21. |
|
Intel
To VARs: Caveat Emptor
|
While the formal launch of the Pentium
II 333MHz is more than two weeks away, VARs are seeing limited availability of the CPU already in the open market. Intel Corp., however, warns VARs they will "get what they pay for" if they buy these processors. "We have heard 333MHz (Pentium II CPUs) are out there, but we aren't sure where they are coming from," said an Intel spokesman. "Anyone distributing (these processors) is in violation of their NDA." |
|
Fastest Pentium II on the wayBy Jim Davis January 14, 1998 |
Intel (INTC) is expected to release the
fastest of its fastest chips later this month but don't
hold your breath for any major performance gains. That
will come later when Intel modifies a core part of the
intercomponent "plumbing" for the Pentium II. The newest Pentium II, expected to be officially announced at the end of this month, will reach a top speed of 333-MHz, up from 300 MHz, as an Intel executive indicated yesterday : "We [have begun] volume shipments of the 333 MHz version of this product in anticipation of its introduction later this month," Paul Otellini, executive vice president director at the Sales and Marketing Group, said yesterday. |
|
Intel's Earnings Exceed EstimatesStaff Reporter January 13, 1998 |
A drop in gross margins pushed down
Intel Corp.'s profits by more than 10% in the final
quarter of 1998, despite strong sales of the company's
newest processors. Intel reported a net income of $1.7 billion for the three months ended Dec. 31, well down from the $1.9 billion it posted during the same period a year ago. But revenues once again set a new record, climbing to $6.5 billion from $6.4 billion. |
|
Intel blows away Q4 estimatesBy Larry Barrett January 13, 1998 |
Intel Corp. (INTC) shattered even the
most optimistic earnings projections in its fourth
quarter, posting a profit of $1.7 billion, or 98 cents
per share, on record sales of $6.5 billion. First Call consensus expected the world's largest chip maker would report a profit of 90 cents per share in the quarter. |
|
Intel earnings better than expectedBy Dawn Yoshitake January 13, 1998 |
Intel (INTC) posted
stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings today as
shipments of its microprocessors hit a record and price
stability returned to its flash memory market. The chip giant, which today also announced that federal regulators would not contest its merger with graphics chip accelerator Chips and Technologies, said demand for its Pentium II and Pentium with MMX technology lines was strong. |
Related Stories |
Intel expects flat growth in Q1 after record sales, profits in '97Staff Reporter January 13, 1998 |
Intel Corp., reporting record sales of
$25.1 billion and net income of $6.9 billion for 1998,
said today that it expects revenues to be flat in the
first quarter 1998, compared to the final three months of
last year. In the fourth quarter last year, Intel's revenues reached a record $6.5 billion, up from $6.4 billion during the same period in 1996. Its net income in the fourth quarter declined 10.5% to $1.7 billion compared to $1.9 billion in the previous year. |
|
Intel Easily Hurdles Wall Street EstimatesBy Larry Dignan January 13, 1998 |
Intel easily hurdled Wall Street
estimates Tuesday with fourth quarter earnings of $1.74
billion, or 98 cents a share. Wall Street was expecting earnings of 90 cents a share.The results were a welcome dose of good news for technology stocks, which have been battered lately. |
|
AMD beats estimatesBy Margaret Kane January 13, 1998 |
Advanced Micro Devices Inc. may have
lost $12 million during the fourth quarter, but that
wasn't as bad as analysts were expecting. The company this afternoon said it pulled in $613 million in sales during the quarter, up 23 percent from a year ago. The $12 million loss is also a step up from a year ago, when the company lost $21 million. At 9 cents per share, it's also less than the 14-cents-per-share loss analysts expected. |
|
AMD Cites Poor K6 Yields In Disappointing 4QBy Mark Hachman and Matthew Sheerin January 14, 1998 |
If buyers found Advanced Micro Devices
Inc.'s fourth quarter earnings unnerving, its first
quarter 1998 could keep them on the edge of their seats. Citing continued poor production yields on its K6 microprocessor, Advanced Micro Devices Inc. Tuesday reported a net loss of $12.33 million, or 9 cents a share, on sales of $613.17 million for the fourth quarter of 1998. In the prior-year quarter, the company posted a net loss of $21.24 million on revenue of $496.87 million. The net loss was actually lower than analysts' estimates of a 15-cent loss per share. |
|
AMD meets goals, narrows lossesBy Michael Kanellos January 13, 1998 |
Advanced Micro Devices met its goal of
shipping approximately 1.5 million K6 microprocessors
during the fourth quarter, and narrowed its losses to
boot--giving Wall Street a much better performance than
expected. Despite the better-than-expected quarter, AMD executives warned that the first quarter will present a crunch for the company as it shifts away from its ".35" manufacturing process to the ".25" manufacturing process. |
Related Stories |
AMD Posts $21M Quarterly LossBy Matthew Sheerin January 13, 1998 |
Citing continued poor production yields
on its K6 microprocessor, Advanced Micro Devices Inc.
Tuesday reported a net loss of $12.33 million, or 9 cents
a share, on sales of $613.17 million for the fourth
quarter of 1998. In the prior-year quarter, the company posted net loss of $21.24 million on revenue of $496.87 million. |
|
AMD Exceeds Wall Street ExpectationsBy Gabrielle Jonas January 13, 1998 |
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) surprised
Wall Street Tuesday by turning in a smaller-than-expected
fourth quarter loss. AMD lost $12.3 million, or 9 cents a share, in the fourth quarter. Wall Street was looking for a loss of 14 cents a share. In the same quarter a year ago, AMD lost $21.2, or 15 cents a share. |
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Cyrix's New Chip Processing: Higher Frequency, Channel AvailabilityBy Kelly Spang January 13, 1998 |
National Semiconductor, which merged
with Cyrix in November, announced today that it produced
the first 6x86MX processors based on .25-micron
technology. By mid-year, the Cyrix 6x86MX processor line will be produced with .25-micron technology, increasing channel availability in 1998, company officials said. |
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| Updated January 13, 1998 | ||
National making first Cyrix chipsBy Michael Kanellos January 12, 1998 |
The first Cyrix-brand microprocessors
have started to roll out of plants owned by parent
company National Semiconductor, signaling a shift in
manufacturing operations that could lead to faster,
better chip designs and more competition for Advanced
Micro Devices and Intel, Cyrix's chief rivals. The significance of the announcement lies in the complex relationship between chip design and fabrication facilities, explained Robert Maher, vice president of engineering at Cyrix. The Richardson, Texas-based chip vendor has been a "fabless" processor maker for most of its history, which means that it uses outside companies to manufacture its chips, such as IBM, which currently produces most of Cyrix's processors. |
Related
Stories
Cyrix breaks Pentium II monopoly |
Fastest Pentium notebooks hereBy Brooke Crothers January 12, 1998 |
Intel (INTC) is announcing the fastest
Pentium chip yet for notebook PCs today, and major
manufacturers are chiming in with new systems. The new Pentium MMX chip, code-named Tillamook, runs at 266 MHz and appears prominently in new notebook PCs from such companies as Dell Computer, Gateway 2000, Digital Equipment, Compaq Computer, and Toshiba, which have or will announce new systems based on the chip. |
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National Gearing Up Cyrix MPU CapacityBy J. Robert Lineback January 12, 1998 |
National Semiconductor Corp., Santa
Clara, Calif., is gearing up to increase the production
of Cyrix 6x86MX processors. It is moving the processor to
a new 0.25-micron process technology and planning to have
in place enough manufacturing capacity worldwide to ship
10 million 6x86MX chips to PC makers this year. National on Monday announced it has successfully produced functioning 6x86MX processors on a quarter-micron process in a pilot fab in Santa Clara. In the summer, National plans to start volume production of 6X86MX processors in its plant located in South Portland, Maine. The chip will be the first Cyrix Corp. product fabricated by National following its $530 million acquisition of the Richardson, Tex.-based MPU supplier. |
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| Updated January 12, 1998 | ||
Intel, Cyrix Launch Notebook ChipsBy Mark Hachman January 12, 1998 |
Having ended 1998 scrambling for design
wins in low-cost desktop PCs, Cyrix Corp. and Intel Corp.
have kicked off 1998 by carrying their fight into
notebook computers. Today, Intel officially launched a 1.8-V version of its 166-MHz Pentium with MMX processor, together with a 2-V, 266-MHz version of the same chip. Meanwhile, last week Cyrix introduced an MMX-enhanced version of its 200-MHz MediaGX integrated processor for notebook PCs. |
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Supply Still A Problem As AMD Hones K6By Mark Hachman January 12, 1998 |
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Inc. is now
shipping 0.25-micron versions of its K6 microprocessor.
But unless you work for Compaq Computer Corp. or IBM
Corp., you won't be able to buy any - at least for now. In what has become a refrain, AMD last week trumpeted its flashy new process, then mumbled that a limited supply prevented the company from releasing products for general sale that use the technology. |
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Intel, AMD Feel Bottom-Line PressureBy Kelly Spang January 11, 1998 |
As Intel and Advanced Micro Devices
close their books for 1998, steep price drops, the
growing strength of the sub-$1,000 PC, and the economic
crisis in Asia will affect the chip makers' financial
results. For Sunnyvale, Calif.-based AMD, Wall Street analysts are expecting manufacturing problems to drag down the company's bottom line, as well. |
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| Updated January 9, 1998 | ||
Intel grapples with legal troublesBy Dawn Yoshitake January 8, 1998 |
Faced with fights on several fronts,
Intel (INTC) is starting the year with the spotlight
shining on its legal and antitrust woes. Earlier this week, the chip giant pushed back the date by which it expects to hear from the Federal Trade Commission on whether the agency will challenge its acquisition of Chips and Technologies (CHPS), marking a fifth postponement of the deal. |
Related Stories |
Questions surround report on FTC's Intel inquiryBy Robert Lemos January 9, 1998 |
Reports that the Federal Trade
Commission is deepening its antitrust investigation of
Intel Corp.'s business practices would seem to bode ill
for the chip giant. Not so, say analysts. "Digital [Equipment Corp.] has a lot more to lose if these proceedings drag on -- especially if the deal is declined in the end," said Mike Feibus, an industry analyst at Mercury Research Inc. |
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Intel: Nothing To Fear From The FTCBy Gabrielle Jonas and Mary Mosquera January 9, 1998 |
Intel said Thursday it is confident that
the Federal Trade Commission's investigation into the
chip maker's proposed purchase of Digital Equipment's
semiconductor operations will not encounter any
roadblocks. In October, Digital agreed to sell its semiconductor operations to Intel for $700 million to settle a patent-infringement lawsuit. As part of the settlement, Intel would manufacture Alpha processors for Digital, and the two companies also signed a 10-year cross-licensing pact. |
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Processor
Whispers
|
Oh horror, another bug - this time it
hits the Cyrix processor 6x86MX. Unfortunately our
suspicion mentioned in last issues Whispers prove to be
correct: a bad bug sneaked into the P6 instructions. But first something pleasant: presently the transistor is celebrating its 50. birthday. While it’s inventors Bardeen, Brattain and Shockley were able to work at the gold-plated Germanium crystals with a razor blade (0,25 mm technology), one nowadays manipulates grooves that are 1000 times finer. Instead of gold, aluminum is used today, and recently copper started to come into fashion. After IBM and Motorola now Texas Instruments also announced that they are able to manage the complicated copper process. Copper is a much better conductor for electricity and heat than aluminum and therefore allows smaller structures. |
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Intel to roll out fastest PentiumBy Brooke Crothers January 8, 1998 |
Intel (INTC) will announce the fastest
Pentium chip yet for notebook PCs on Monday, just as the
chip giant is challenged for the first time in this
segment by Intel-compatible manufacturers. The new Pentium "Tillamook" MMX chip will run at 266 MHz and appear prominently in new notebook PCs from vendors such as Dell Computer, Digital Equipment, Compaq, and Toshiba, which will next week announce new systems based on the chip, according to industry sources. |
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| Updated January 8, 1998 | ||
FTC finds fault in Intel-DEC settlementBy Jube Shiver Jr. January 8, 1998 |
Sharpening its antitrust investigation
of Intel Corp., the Federal Trade Commission staff has
found serious antitrust problems with the computer chip
maker's $700 million settlement of a patent infringement
suit brought by rival Digital Equipment Corp., according
to people close to the probe. The FTC staff, which believes the settlement last October would limit competition to Intel's market-leading Pentium chip, is now building a case against the commission approving the deal. In addition, the FTC staff is mulling whether to restrict Intel's efforts to extend its dominance of microprocessors to other computer components, the sources said. |
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No Intel Inside New PCs From Compaq And IBMBy Mo KrochmalJanuary 6, 1998 |
Compaq and IBM rolled out low-cost PCs
on Tuesday that won't be wearing the "Intel
Inside" label. Compaq introduced 15 models, with almost half running on K6 processors made by Advanced Micro Devices. Compaq also announced its Presario 1200 Series notebook, which costs $1,999 and is based on the 200-MHz integrated Cyrix processor. IBM rolled out two Aptiva models that run on IBM K6 266-MHz and 233-MHz MMX-enhanced processors. |
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| Updated January 7, 1998 | ||
AMD's in the chipsBy Robert Lemos January 7, 1998 |
In 1998, chip maker and Intel rival
Advanced Micro Devices learned a valuable lesson: The
devil's in the details. After launching its Pentium rival -- the K6 processor -- in April, the company failed to meet demand for the chip because of production problems. Now those "small" details seem to have been solved. |
Many related stories linked from this story. |
Cyrix Adds MMX-Enhanced Chip For PortablesBy Patrick Waurzyniak January 6, 1998 |
Cyrix Corp., Richardson, Texas, on
Tuesday unveiled a MMX-enhanced version of its MediaGX
microprocessor aimed at the notebook computer market. Cyrix, a subsidiary of National Semiconductor Corp., said that Compaq Computer Corp. has designed the new processor into its Presario line of notebook computers, enabling Compaq to provide the first MMX-enhanced 200-Mhz notebook for less than $2,000. |
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AMD evicts Intel, Cyrix at CompaqBy Brooke Crothers January 6, 1998 |
Today may go down in Advanced Micro
Devices' (AMD) history as one of its most glorious days,
as the chipmaker readies itself for what may be a banner
year. Today AMD effectively became the main supplier of chips for one of the hottest PC markets to the largest PC maker in the world. In other words, all the new consumer desktop systems below $1,200--one of the highest volume consumer PC markets--announced today by Compaq are using AMD processors, not Intel nor even low-cost leader Cyrix appear in this price range. (See related story) |
Related Stories |
Compaq tapping AMD, CyrixBy Brooke Crothers and Kurt Oeler January 6, 1998 |
Compaq Computer (CPQ) announced a slew
of new consumer computers, including its first home
dekstop systems with an Advanced Micro Devices processor
and the first notebooks with Cyrix and AMD chips from a
major vendor in the United States. AMD's K6 chip appears in two Presario consumer models and one model for the educational market, while Cyrix's MediaGX MMX-enhanced processor turns up in two consumer notebooks. |
Related Stories |
Pentium II PCs coming cheapBy Kurt Oeler January 6, 1998 |
Packard Bell NEC introduced five
low-priced, high-speed models targeting the so-called
SOHO (small office/home) market, including a 266-MHz
Pentium II system for $1,899. The Sacramento, California-based manufacturer reemphasized its traditional focus on the value-oriented consumer, particularly with the introduction of its Platinum 4500. The high-speed Intel-based machine comes with 64MB of memory, a 6.4GB hard drive, a CD-ROM drive, a 56-kbps modem, and software for home users, such as the Quicken personal finance program and Microsoft's Word. |
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IBM turns to speedy AMD K6By Erich Luening January 6, 1998 |
IBM (IBM) today rolled out two new
consumer PCs with Advanced Micro Devices' K6 processor,
lending momentum to newfound partiality toward the K6
among major PC manufacturers. The Aptiva models are priced at $1,599 and $1,099. The $1,599 E46 is the first PC to be equipped with a 266-MHz K6 processor, while the less expensive E26 uses the K6 233-MHz processor. |
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Intel extends offer for C&TBy Tom Schmidt January 6, 1998 |
Intel Corp. announced today it has
extended the expiration date of its $17.50-per-share
offer for all outstanding shares of Chips and
Technologies Inc. from Jan. 19 until Jan. 21. The Santa Clara, Calif., chip giant also said it expects to hear from the Federal Trade Commission by Jan. 13 on whether the agency intends to challenge the deal. |
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Compaq rolls out $799 PC with AMD insideBy Margaret Kane January 6, 1998 |
Forget sub-$1,000. The new price to beat
in the PC market is sub-$800. One day after Hewlett-Packard Co. announced systems at that once-unthinkable price, Compaq Computer Corp. matched it, rolling out a widely expected line of Presario systems featuring Advanced Micro Devices Inc.'s K6 processors. |
Many related stories linked from this story. |
Intel to spend $5.4 billion on chip gear, analyst predictsBy J. Robert Lineback January 5, 1998 |
Intel Corp. is expected to increase its
spending on semiconductor capital equipment by 20% to
$5.40 billion in 1998 compared to $4.50 billion in 1998,
said analyst Bill McClean, president of IC Insights Inc.,
during a forecast presentation at an executive conference
here today. About 200 top executives attending the Industry Strategy Symposium gasped when McClean disclosed his projection of Intel's capital spending plans in 1998. At $4.5 billion, Intel's spending on capital equipment was about 20% of its 1998 sales, McClean said, adding that the company's budget was about what it should be for a company its size. |
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| Updated January 6, 1998 | ||
| Cyrix
to debut 200MHz MediaGX for low-cost notebooks By Lisa DiCarlo January 6, 1998 |
Having pioneered low-cost, integrated
X86 microprocessors for sub-$1,000 desktops, Cyrix Corp.
is now turning its sights to fully featured, inexpensive
notebook PCs. The Richardson, Texas, subsidiary of National Semiconductor Inc. will introduce today a 200MHz MMX-enhanced MediaGX for portables. And like the original MediaGX introduced last year, Cyrix has already signed up a heavy-hitter, Compaq Computer Corp., which will use the chip in a Presario notebook for home and small office consumers. |
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Intel sees chip surplus, price cutsBy Brooke Crothers January 5, 1998 |
Intel (INTC) is facing cancellation of
notebook PC processor orders, boding ill for processor
sales in this segment. Intel has an inventory of about 3 million in unsold processors, due to "massive cancellations of notebook chips," according to Ashok Kumar, an analyst at Loewenbaum & Company. He cites the sluggish Asian market, particularly Japan, as one of the reasons for the notebook chip stockpile. |
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| Intel
prepares additional price cuts, 333MHz Pentium II By Lisa DiCarlo January 5, 1998 |
Giving an already healthy PC market a
healthy shove, Intel Corp. will kick-start 1998 with
processor price cuts and a bump up in clock speed. Late this month, the Santa Clara, Calif., company will cut prices of Pentium II and Pentium Processors with MMX Technology by as much as about 25 percent, according to sources familiar with Intel's plans. The company is also expected to release a 333MHz Pentium II on Jan. 26, the sources said. |
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| Updated January 5, 1998 | ||
Has Intel already documented performance flaw?By Intelligent Firmware |
...But what Intel does not reveal in
this page or anywhere else, is that if one makes
afterwards (while the burst has not finished) a request
of another word in the same burst line the execution unit
waits for the entire burst to finish (documented) and
then there is a considerable time penalty (the
undocumented flaw). But if while the burst has not
finished another read request is made in a different
burst line, there is no penalty; immediately after the current burst, a new one is generated. Consequently, in order to get rid of this penalty the workaround is to rearrange the order of read requests, that is to make them in a special order, non-sequentially. |
Related Stories |
British firm claims Pentium "bug"By Jim Davis December 31, 1998 |
A British software company
says it has found a flaw that negatively impacts the
performance of Pentium processors, but the alleged glitch
appears to have been identified and documented years ago
by Intel engineers. An article by the U.K.-based Intelligent Firmware has also been posted at Intel Secrets, a site which tracks inside information on the world's leading chipmaker. |
Related Stories |
Sub-$1,000
PCs:
|
Two years ago, the Internet came into the public spotlight offering a glimpse of a bright, new electronic future. This year, the sub-$1,000 PC occupied center stage because it showed how cheap, easy, and accessible that world could be. | |
