x86 Headline News

For the week of April 20, 1998

Intel Secrets Home Page

x86 Headline News

Dr. Dobb's Journal
Undocumented Corner

Intel Inside --
The Errata Series

In-Depth Articles

Productivity Enhancements
and Programming Tricks

Intel Secrets, Bugs and
Undocumented Opcodes

Intel Data Sheets and
Programming Manuals

Intel Motherboard Manuals
and Jumper Settings

Intel Art of the Month

Other Links

Frequently Asked Questions

This Week's x86 Headlines
All other stories and details below
C/Net Pentium II licenses weaken FTC case
Computer Reseller News Intergraph CEO On Battling Intel
PC Week Online FTC gives OK to Digital/Intel
chip deal
ZD Net News Intel unveils Xeon processors
TechWeb Intel's Merced May Be Delayed

x86 Weekly News

Collected By Robert R. Collins

Week of April 20, 1998

Older News

April 24, 1998

Pentium II licenses weaken FTC case

By Michael Kanellos

April 23, 1998
C/Net

With the basic rights to Intel's Pentium II technology beginning to snake their way to competitors, it may become more difficult for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to bring charges against the chipmaker even though questions about its business practices still loom large.

Last fall, the agency began a far-reaching investigation into Intel's dominance in certain processor markets. One avenue of investigation, sources said, has been Intel's virtual lock over the intellectual property (IP) needed to build Pentium II computers. By holding these patents to itself, Intel was effectively creating a monopoly in high-end desktop computing, according to FTC thinking.

 

AMD's 1Q Loss Will Widen With $11.5M Class-Action Suit Settlement

By Patrick Waurzyniak

April 23, 1998
Electronic Buyers' News

Advanced Micro Devices said Thursday that it has reached a tentative agreement to settle a 1995 class-action lawsuit that will cost the chip maker $11.5 million and result in widening AMD's previously disclosed first quarter 1998 loss to nearly $63 million.

AMD, in Sunnyvale, Calif., said the settlement of the class-action lawsuit, filed in November 1995 by shareholders against AMD and some of the company's current and former AMD officers and directors, relates to the company's K5 microprocessor development project.

 

AMD settles K5 lawsuit

By Jim Davis

April 23, 1998
C/Net

Advanced Micro Devices settled a securities lawsuit regarding its older K5 processors, a development that is expected result in a widening of the company's first-quarter loss.

The lawsuit, which dates back to 1995, concerned the company's development and release of the K5 chip. If approved, the cost of the settlement to the Sunnyvale, California, company would be $11,500,000.

 

Intergraph CEO On Battling Intel

An Interview with Wade Patterson

April 23, 1998
Computer Reseller News

A federal court recently granted Intergraph Corp. a preliminary injunction stemming from a lawsuit the workstation maker filed in November against Intel Corp. In the suit, Intergraph, Huntsville, Ala., charged Intel with anticompetitive behavior, patent infringement and later added antitrust claims. Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel has since filed an appeal. Wade Patterson, chief executive officer of Intergraph Computer Systems, Intergraph's parent company, explained to CRN Section Editors Kelly Spang and Joe Wilcox the value of its preliminary injunction against Intel.  

AMD pricing K6 3D processor to compete with Intel's Pentium II

By Mark Hachman

April 23, 1998
Electronic Buyers' News

Shortly after Intel Corp. announced its own April 15 price reductions, Advanced Micro Devices Inc. here has returned fire by cutting prices on its own K6 microprocessor.

Perhaps more importantly, an unannounced prices on AMD-K6 3D processors--featuring acceleration for 3-D graphics and video--will make the chip cost competitive with Intel's Pentium II, according to a company spokesman. "Essentially, the AMD-K6 3D will offer performance comparable to Intel's Pentium II processor, but we'll give away 3-D [acceleration] for free," he said.

 

FTC gives OK to Digital/Intel
chip deal

By Margaret Kane and Lisa DiCarlo

April 23, 1998
PC Week Online

The Federal Trade Commission today gave conditional approval to Digital Equipment Corp.'s (DEC) sale of its microprocessor operations to Intel Corp. (INTC)

The approval requires Digital to agree to continue licensing arrangements with Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and to certify IBM Microelectronics or some other company to manufacture Digital's Alpha processors.

See Today's Related Stories

Intel's Pentium II Xeon

By Silicon Edge

Intel's Pentium II Xeon is a new branch of the Pentium II brand intended for high-end server and workstation applications. One thing you can be sure about is that the Xeon won't be value-priced. Unlike the standard Pentium II line, the Pentium II Xeon can accommodate up to 2 MB of L2 cache and runs it at full CPU speed, unlike the Pentium II, which runs its cache at half speed.  
Today's Related Stories

Federal Trade Commission Approves Digital-Intel Deal

By Kelly Spang

April 23, 1998
Computer Reseller News

The Federal Trade Commission approved the settlement between Digital Equipment and Intel, but added its own modification to protect the future of Digital's Alpha processor.

As expected, the FTC said Thursday it would not block the settlement, but the Commission also did not outright approve the proposed deal. The commission voted five-to-zero to accept the consent agreement.

 

FTC clears Intel-DEC deal if Alpha available to IC makers

By Staff Writer

April 23, 1998
Semiconductor Business News

The Federal Trade Commission today cleared the way for Intel Corp.'s acquisition of Digital Equipment Corp.' semiconductor manufacturing operations, provided that DEC license its high-speed Alpha chip to other chip makers.

The FTC said the original terms of the sale would have threatened competition by giving control of the Alpha technology to DEC's main competitor, Intel. The Alpha is seen by some industry observers as one of the world's fastest MPU architectures, which could be controlled by Intel after it acquires DEC's chip operations as part of a $700 million purchase agreement announced last fall.

 

FTC OKs Intel-Digital settlement

By Andy Santoni

April 23, 1998
InfoWorld Electric

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has notified Intel and Digital that the commission will not seek to enjoin the settlement of a legal dispute between the companies the companies agreed to in October but will require that Digital license Alpha processor technology to other semiconductor manufacturers.

The settlement, which ended litigation over Alpha patents and access to Intel processors and early design data, was announced last Oct. 27, and was subject to FTC review under provisions of the Hart Scott Rodino Improvements Act.

 
April 23, 1998

Settlement of patent infringement claim expected to be OK'd

By Tom Quinlan

April 23, 1998
San Jose Mercury News

The Federal Trade Commission is expected Friday to sign off on the deal that ended the high-stakes legal confrontation between Intel Corp. and Digital Equipment Corp., resolving the second of three recent federal probes of the Santa Clara chip giant.

Sources familiar with the investigation said the FTC has decided to accept the settlement of Digital's patent infringement claim against Intel without major modifications, following five months of delay. Under the settlement, Intel forged a patent cross-licensing arrangement with Digital, bought a semiconductor manufacturing plant and acquired the StrongARM processor, a popular low-cost chip.

See Today's Related Stories

IDT says weak SRAM demand offset by MPUs, communication ICs

By Staff Writer

April 22, 1998
Semiconductor Business News

Integrated Device Technology Inc. here today reported a 4.2% increase in revenue to $150.2 million in the fiscal quarter, ended March 29, compared to $143.2 million in the same period last year. IDT's earnings totaled $1.4 million compared to $2.1 million in the quarter last year.

"Our microprocessor, logic and communications memory divisions performed well offsetting sluggish demand for SRAM products," said Len Perham, IDT's president and chief executive officer.

 

Advanced Micro Devices Cuts K6 Prices

By Mark Hachman

April 23, 1998
Electronic Buyers' News

Shortly after Intel announced its own April 15 price reductions, Advanced Micro Devices has returned fire by cutting prices on its own K6 microprocessor.

Perhaps more important, a spokesman for AMD (company profile), in Sunnyvale, Calif., has indicated the unannounced prices of the K6 3D will be priced competitively against the Pentium II. "Essentially, the AMD K6 3D will offer performance comparable to Intel's Pentium II processor, but we'll give away 3-D [acceleration] for free," he said.

 

Intel sketches process, product plans

By Rick Boyd-Merritt and David Lammers

April 23, 1998
EE Times

Intel Corp. is pressing ahead with plans to bring up a next-generation 0.18-micron process technology even as it postpones its shift to 300-mm (12-inch) wafers to beyond the year 2000.

The bullet points on the technology road map for the world's largest semiconductor company emerged at an analysts meeting this week where Intel executives expressed cautious optimism that the PC market — sluggish in the first months of 1998 — will rebound later this year.

 

Intel lays out map for stronger demand, 500-MHz chips

By Marc Ferranti

April 22, 1998
InfoWorld Electric

Intel executives Tuesday met with the Wall Street community, reassuring investment analysts that the company has programs in place to take care of inventory problems as it transitions to new-generation technology, including 500-MHz chips in the first half of next year.

The event here came in the wake of last week's disappointing quarterly financial report, with news that Intel's net income in the first quarter, ended March 28, tumbled 36 percent from $2 billion in the same period a year ago. (See Intel to cut 3,000 after profits plummet 36 percent.)

 
Today's Related Stories

FTC May Approve Intel-DEC Settlement This Week

By Kimberly Caisse

April 22, 1998
Computer Reseller News

Federal Trade Commission may approve the Intel Corp.-Digital Equipment Corp. patent lawsuit settlement by the end of this week, industry sources said.

FTC approval of the Intel-Digital deal clears the way for the government agency to speed up its review of Digital's pending merger with Compaq Computer Corp., sources said.

 
April 22, 1998

IDT readies Intel alternative

By Stephanie Miles

April 22, 1998
C/Net

IDT is starting volume production of its new low-cost 200-MHz processor, with faster speed chips to come later this year, the company announced.

IDT offers its Intel-compatible WinChip to PC vendors building low-cost PCs. IDT has said in the past that its chips are targeted at the sub-$800 desktop PC market and sub-$1,000 notebook computer market.

See Today's Related Stories

Send in the clones

By Dan Niles

April 21, 1998
C/Net

Remember the Intel clones? Now that the sub-$1000 PC threatens to alter the fundamental landscape of the technology industry, a little bit of history might be in order. Before "Intel inside" took over the world and the age of the chip giant's 90 percent market share in microprocessors had dawned, there were two other companies making Intel-like microprocessors, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Cyrix.  

Processor Talk
Spring is Coming

By Andreas Stiller

August 1998
c't Magazine

Big spring cleaning at Intel, the master of the house Andy Grove retires and lots of shiny processors appear before the public. Apart from the PC processors more and more powerful signal processors get themselves much talked about. Now Siemens is surprising us with a smart new design.  

Intel's second-half strategy

By CNET STAFF

April 21, 1998
C/Net

Intel is embarking on new initiatives designed to help PC makers better estimate production and inventory needs. The chip giant plans to rapidly shift to an advanced manufacturing process that promises to deliver 500-MHz chips in a year. Intel also believes that the second half will bring a cyclical upturn in the market. Meanwhile, Dell is phasing out PCs using the older Pentium chip in favor of exclusive use of Pentium IIs.  

Intel to manage PC inventories

By Michael Kanellos

April 21, 1998
C/Net

What company is devising methods to beat direct vendor Dell at its build-to-order game? Ironically, it's chipmaker Intel.

During an analyst meeting today, the microprocessor giant said it is developing two new programs that will help computer vendors, distributors, and resellers micromanage inventories of computers and components down to the minute.

See Today's Related Stories

Intel eyes 500-MHz chips

By Michael Kanellos

April 21, 1998
C/Net

In a break with past practice, Intel plans to move quickly to manufacturing technology that will allow it to pack more processing power into less chip real estate, eyeing 500-MHz chips next year, Intel CEO Craig Barrett said today.

Processor technology generations, which used to last two to three years, will start to get shorter as companies try to devise ways to save on research and development costs, Barrett said at a meeting for Intel analysts this morning in New York. This likely will mean a more rapid transition to advanced processors than seen in the past, at least for high-end machines.

 

Intel: demand will return

By Michael Kanellos

April 21, 1998
C/Net

The PC inventory glut and slower-than-expected demand will keep a lid on second-quarter revenue growth for the PC industry, but it will return to form during the second half of the year, Intel executives said in a meeting with analysts in New York today.

Boosting PC revenue growth back into the mid- to high teens will come as a result of new product releases, a cyclical upturn in demand, and the elimination of some of the problems that slowed down demand during the first half, executives at the company told the analysts during a nearly four-hour presentation.

 

Intel Scatters Chips Across Enterprise

By Mo Krochmal

April 21, 1998
TechWeb

Although Intel is expected to release its next-generation chip, the 64-bit Merced, next year, 32-bit chip architecture will continue to be an important part of its product line through the next decade, according to a report from Aberdeen Group.

Also known as the P7, Merced uses a new instruction architecture called IA-64. It is expected to run x86 and PA-RISC software natively, with clock speeds at 600 MHz and higher, and will be targeted at the workstation and server markets.

 

Intel Outlines Expanded Roadmap For Workstations, Low-Cost PCs

By Mark Hachman

April 21, 1998
Electronic Buyer's News

To broaden its customer base, Intel Corp. Tuesday told Wall Street analysts that it too plans to expand its product line into the workstation and low-cost PC markets.

Save for the announcement that future Pentium II processors would break the 500 MHz barrier, Intel's roadmap held almost no surprises. However, to make its products attractive to the PC community, the company also described a broad list of initiatives, investments, and third party programs to accelerate data moving in and out of Intel's chips.

 
Today's Related Stories

Intel outlines programs to alleviate inventory woes

By Margaret Kane

April 21, 1998
ZD Net News

With PC manufacturers facing severe inventory troubles, Intel Corp. is creating two programs aimed at helping companies deal with the torrid pace of processor innovation.

Speaking at an analysts' briefing here today, Sean Maloney, Intel's vice president of sales and marketing, described a new inventory management and order process that will allow OEMs to place orders in real time by uploading exact copies of a customer's manufacturing requirements to Intel's database. The system uses Intel's ProShare live video conferencing technology.

 

Intel Tries To Ease Inventory Headaches

By Kelly Spang

April 21, 1998
Computer Reseller News

Intel is launching programs to help original equipment manufacturers more efficiently manage inventory, and ease inventory fluctuations that have plagued the PC industry over the past couple of quarters.

"Inventory has become a life or death issue for our industry," said Sean Maloney, Intel vice president and director of sales and marketing at the Intel spring analyst conference. "The lesson of the past two quarters is that inventory has moved from being a concern of the purchasing department of the computer manufacturer to an issue of life or death to the whole company."

 

IDT puts WinChip into production

By Staff Writer

April 21, 1998
Semiconductor Business News

Integrated Device Technology Inc. here today said it has begun production shipments of its WinChip microprocessor from its 8-inch wafer fab in Hillsboro, Ore.

"Transitioning production to our Hillsboro fab allows us to significantly increase the rate at which we can ramp our production output during the next few quarters," said Len Perham, president and CEO of IDT. The X86-compatible WinChip was moved into volume production during the first quarter from IDT's R&D fab in San Jose.

 

IDT Begins WinChip Production At Oregon Fab

By Patrick Waurzyniak

April 21, 1998
Electronic Buyer's News

Integrated Device Technology Inc. (IDT) Tuesday said it has begun production shipments of the IDT WinChip microprocessor from its state-of-the-art, 8-in. wafer fabrication plant in Hillsboro, Ore.

IDT, Santa Clara, said it began production of the 200- and 225-MHz WinChip microprocessors with a .35-micron process at the Oregon fab during its quarter ended March 29.

 
April 21, 1998

Intel unveils Xeon processors

By Margaret Kane

April 20, 1998
ZD Net News

Intel Corp. announced today that its newest line of Pentium II processors, a high-end family called Xeon designed for servers and workstations, will be available soon.

The processors use Intel's Slot 2 technology, featuring a larger and faster Level 2 cache. They also feature multiprocessor capabilities.

 

What's behind Intel's chip-naming strategy?

By Charles Cooper

April 20, 1998
ZD Net News - Australia

The moniker may sound odd to some, but not to the executive who spent the last three months coining the name for an upcoming line of high-end microprocessors from Intel.

On Monday, Intel disclosed plans to introduce the Pentium II "Xeon," a brand name for a line of processors targeted at mid-range and higher server and workstation applications, by mid-year.

 

IBM: PCs down, chips up

By Jim Davis

April 20, 1998
C/Net

IBM's first-quarter earnings, not unlike those of competitors such as Compaq Computer, took a hit today as bloated inventories caused a "terrible" price war that resulted in a significant decline in PC business revenue.

IBM said hardware sales dropped 8 percent to $7.1 billion during the first quarter of 1998 and gross profit margins for hardware sales fell 4.1 percent amid a torrent of price cuts by competitors.

 

HP to throw support at Merced

By Charles Babcock

April 20, 1998
ZD Net News

Hewlett-Packard Co. is upping the ante in its competition with Sun Microsystems Inc. by pouring resources into producing a high-performance environment for the execution of Java applications that is based on Intel Corp.'s next-generation microprocessor, known as Merced.

HP is producing its own Java Virtual Machine (JVM) and Java compilers for the upcoming Merced chip, due from Intel late next year. And, because HP is a co-designer of Merced, HP is in a position to use its knowledge of the chip's design and instruction set to write compilers that make Java run faster than when other companies' compilers are used.

 

Intel Xeon chip to boost profits

By Michael Kanellos

April 20, 1998
C/Net

Xeon will be the name for the family of sophisticated corporate processors coming this summer from Intel, the company announced today, introducing the second phase of a branding strategy the chip giant is executing this year.

Xeon, however, represents more than just another fancy galactic name. The upcoming workstation and server processors, which will be based around the Pentium II core, will likely be a linchpin in Intel's future business strategy.

 

Intel moves to accelerate adoption of Xeon processors

By Lisa DiCarlo

April 20, 1998
PC Week Online

As Intel Corp. gears up for the high-end Xeon processor, it is quickly winding down its Pentium Processors with MMX Technology and Pentium Pro CPUs.

The Santa Clara, Calif., company said today that the Xeon Pentium II processors, for high-end workstations and servers, will be available in June. Pricing was not announced.

 

Intel tags Slot 2 processors 'Pentium II Xeon'

By James Niccolai and Andy Santoni

April 20, 1998
InfoWorld Electric

Intel on Monday announced it would call the Slot 2 processors it is introducing midyear Pentium II Xeon. The processors, which have been carrying the temporary name Pentium II ABC, are designed for midrange and higher workstation and server applications.

The first Xeon processors will be introduced midyear, with systems from Intel's manufacturing partners built around it expected to follow soon after, Intel said. The first processors are expected to run at 400 MHz, Intel has said.

 
April 20, 1998

Intel's Merced May Be Delayed

By Mo Krochmal

April 17, 1998
TechWeb

Intel may have to put off the introduction of its next-generation, 64-bit chip, code-named Merced, said Zona Research.

Also known as the P7, Merced uses a new instruction architecture called IA-64. It is expected to run x86 and PA-RISC software natively with clock speeds at 600 MHz and beyond. The Merced chip, which Intel is building in collaboration with Hewlett-Packard, is the next-generation computer chip for the high-end workstation and server market.

 

CPU Market Softens As Chips Get Faster

By Andy Patrizio

April 17, 1998

TechWeb

Sales of x86 microprocessors will grow at a slower rate than they have in the past, and there will be increased pressure on CPU makers, particularly Intel,as consumers opt for low-end machines over high-performance systems, according to a Dataquest report released Wednesday.  

PC makers adopt alternatives to Rambus DRAM

By Anthony Cataldo

April 17, 1998
EE Times

Despite Intel Corp.'s attempts to promote the Direct Rambus architecture across all systems starting in 1999, a number of PC makers are designing high-end systems that use alternative SLDRAM and double-data-rate DRAM components now under development. Such moves could provide the first base of customers critical for the continued evolution of alternative high-performance DRAMs.

At least two top-tier systems companies are developing core logic that will conform to the modified SSTL interface used for SLDRAMs, sources told EE Times. These devices are being positioned in some circles as the next memory technology to follow synchronous DRAMs.

 

Intel to debut Pentium II chip for servers

By Reuters

April 20, 1998
PC-Week

Monday it plans to introduce the Pentium II Xeon, a new brand name for a line of processors designed specifically for midrange and higher server and workstation applications.

Intel will introduce the processors at mid-year. with system products to follow shortly thereafter, the company said in a statement.

 

Pentium MMX half-dead as Intel rolls out PII barrel
AMD responds by cutting own prices

April 17, 1998
The Register

As revealed here earlier, Intel duly rolled out its Celeron, 100MHz bus and two high speed PIIs on Wednesday. A spate of vendors endorsed the announcement and at the same time Intel cut prices on its existing processors and confirmed that it will no longer make wafer starts on its Pentium MMX line. Again, as revealed here earlier, that means that the Pentium will be a dead duck by the end of the year.  

Cracks emerge in IBM-Intel alliance

Big Blue not convinced PII/mobile better than Tillamook

April 9, 1998
The Register

The alliance between Intel and IBM showed signs it was under strain today after Big Blue described the performance of its Pentium II mobile as "indifferent".

An IBM representative said at a breakfast briefing in London that there was little performance difference between the Pentium II/mobile and Intel's previous offering, the Tillamook processor.

 

AMD and IBM cosy up over PII
AMD switches tape recorder on for talks

April 17, 1998
The Register

Secret discussions between Advanced Micro Devices and IBM are set to produce PIIs from the AMD stable, according to sources close to the company.

That emerged last week after reports on the US wires said that IBM and AMD were close to signing a deal, further increasing their closeness. Rumours have existed for some time that IBM is interested in buying AMD, with both companies refusing to comment.

 

Intel's Celeron Challenges AMD Pricing Strategy

By Kelly Spang

April 17, 1998
Computer Reseller News

Intel's new Celeron processor is challenging Advanced Micro Devices' long-standing policy of providing comparable performance at a 25 percent price advantage.

Both Intel (company profile), Santa Clara, Calif., and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD)(company profile), Sunnyvale,Calif., cut processor prices this week.

 

High-end sales drive X86 market growth
Desktop sales will eventually fall

April 17, 1998
The Register

Midrange and workstation systems will drive worldwide growth in x86 computational microprocessor sales, with market value jumping 16 per cent in 1998.

In 1997, desktop systems revenue soaked up 60 per cent of the total x86 computational microprocessor market, but this will fall to 39 percent of the total market by 2002, Dataquest forecasts.

 

Intel Tries To Fuel Soft DVD Implementations

By Anthony Cataldo

April 17, 1998
EE Times

In an effort to fuel demand for its fastest processors as it faces falling margins and weak demand, Intel is quietly offering PC makers a software DVD decoder optimized to run on its newest Pentium II processors without the need for a hardware MPEG-2 decoder.

Intel's decision to distribute the decoder coincides with the introduction of its 440-BX chip set, which provides the underlying system-bandwidth boost for such memory-intensive applications as DVD.

 

Disappointed Grove outlines poor Q1

Moore's Law doesn't necessarily translate to sales

April 14, 1998
The Register

Intel turned in very disappointing results for its Q1 1998, confirming the warnings that senior executives delivered to Wall Street some weeks ago. Profits fell severely. Intel will slash 3,000 jobs - around five per cent of its staff - and cut its capital spending.

Turnover fell seven per cent from the equivalent period in Q1 1997 to $6 billion dead, but that was also an eight per cent drop from its last Q.

 

News from the x86 Monthly Archives

1998 News Archives

December 1997

November 1997

October 1997


Back to x86 Headline News Home Page