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This Week's x86 Headlines
All other stories and details below
C/Net IBM touts new chip technology
U-Geek IDT-Centaur is hurting
EE Times Intel hit with $500 million patent lawsuit
InfoWorld Electric Survey says 'Intel Inside' increasingly doesn't matter to businesses
PC Week Online Another delay in store for Intel's Xeon
EE Times Cyrix serves Jalapeno to burn Intel
C/Net Is Merced doomed?
C/Net Merced mired
Microprocessor Report What's Wrong With Merced
Implementation Woes May Overshadow IA-64 Advantages

 

x86 Weekly News

Collected By Robert R. Collins

Week of August 3, 1998

Older News

August 7, 1998

Is Merced doomed?

By Michael Kanellos

August 6, 1998
C/Net

Touted as a major milestone for Intel and the computer industry in general, Merced, the company's first 64-bit chip, appears to be losing its luster because of delays, performance issues, and upstaging by other processor manufacturers.

Industry experts have called into question the wide-ranging commercial rollout of Merced, which has been pushed back from late 1999 to mid-2000. Instead, it now appears that the chip which will propel Intel deep into the 64-bit computing arena will be McKinley, a Merced successor that's touted as having "twice the performance" and likely to come out in 2001.

 

Another delay in store for Intel's Xeon

By Carmen Nobel

August 6, 1998
PC Week Online

Intel Corp. is delaying shipment of the next version of its 450NX Xeon chip set for servers until at least the beginning of 1999, company officials have confirmed.

The chip set, which can scale up to four processors on a server and can be configured with as much as 2MB of cache and 8GB of main memory, was originally expected by October.

Dell Computer Corp. and Compaq Computer Corp. last week began shipping servers with the 400MHz version of the 450NX, which can support between 512KB and 1MB of cache. Those servers had been delayed because of previously reported bugs in the chip set that Intel has since fixed.

See Related Stories

Intel's Xeon delayed again for servers

Chip set bug to delay Xeon server rollout till late summer

Cyrix serves Jalapeno to burn Intel

By Ron Wilson

August 7, 1998
EE Times

Armed with a hot CMOS process from parent National Semiconductor Corp. and an aggressive superscalar architecture, Cyrix Corp. is taking aim at the high end of Intel's IA-32 processor line. The company is planning to pop its next hot CPU core, code-named Jalapeno, just in time to catch Intel in mid-transition from the IA-32 to Merced.

"We are aiming Jalapeno at the 600-MHz Pentium-II performance level," said Cyrix vice president of engineering Mark Bluhm. "That will be much faster than any estimates we have seen of Merced speed on IA-32 code, and it should be competitive with Intel's IA-32 high end at the time."

 

Intel's copper chip plans emerge

By Michael Kanellos

August 6, 1998
C/Net

Shortly after Intel moves to its 64-bit chip architecture in the year 2000, the chip giant is expected to switch over to a copper chip design, following on the heels of such rivals as IBM.

The transition will likely come as Intel moves to the second generation of its 64-bit "IA-64" architecture, according to sources familiar with the company's plans. Copper, which conducts better than the aluminum circuits found in current chips, is expected to lead to faster processors.

 

Intel flash memory suit dismissed

By Reuters

August 6, 1998
C/Net

Silicon Storage Technology said a patent infringement lawsuit filed against it by chipmaker Intel was dismissed by a U.S. District Court in Delaware, on the basis of jurisdiction.

U.S. District Court Judge McKelvie said in a 21-page ruling that Intel failed to establish a basis for the Delaware court to take up the dispute, which involve two companies based in Silicon Valley. Intel filed the suit last November against the Sunnyvale, California, flash memory maker.

 

News Alert: Court Dismisses Intel Suit Against SST

August 6, 1998
Electronic Buyer's News

U.S. District Court in Delaware dismissed Intel Corp.’s lawsuit against Silicon Storage Technology, Inc., Sunnyvale, Calif.

The Judge ruled that Intel had failed to establish a basis for the Delaware court's taking jurisdiction of the dispute, which involved two companies located a few miles apart in Silicon Valley.

 

Survey says 'Intel Inside' increasingly doesn't matter to businesses

By Rebecca Sykes

August 6, 1998
InfoWorld Electric

U.S. business users are increasingly willing to purchase PCs that contain processors from companies other than chip giant Intel, according to two studies released Thursday.

Of 2,624 U.S. businesses surveyed, 34 percent are considering buying PCs with processors made by Advanced Micro Devices or Cyrix instead of Intel, according to market researcher ZD Market Intelligence, in La Jolla, Calif.

 

Chip sector primed for upside

By Corey Grice

August 6, 1998
C/Net

The semiconductor industry got a break from its ongoing woes today, with many of the market leaders gaining as the stock market closed higher than it has all week. Meanwhile, a new report provides evidence that the sector soon may rebound.

National Semiconductor was the big winner today, closing up nearly 17 percent at 13.875 on news that investment bank .Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette upgraded the chipmaker to a "top pick" rating from "buy." Dallas Semiconductor was up more than 8 percent, finishing at 33.375, and Advanced Micro Devices closed more than 5 percent higher at 16.75.

 
August 6, 1998

Merced mired

By Michael Kanellos

August 6, 1998
C/Net

Touted as a major milestone for Intel and the computer industry in general, Merced, the company’s first 64-bit chip, appears to be losing its luster because of delays, performance issues, and upstaging by other chip vendors.

Industry experts and even Intel executives have made comments that call into question the commercial viability of Merced, which has been pushed back to mid-2000. It now appears that the chip which will propel Intel deep into 64-bit computing territory will be McKinley, the Merced successor that will likely come out in 2001.

See Related Stories

Problems delay Merced
chip

What's Wrong With Merced
Implementation Woes May Overshadow IA-64 Advantages

By Linley Gwennap

August 3, 1998
Microprocessor Report

While Intel was remarkably forthright in disclosing that the scheduled delivery date of its first IA-64 processor, Merced, had slipped to mid-2000 (see MPR 6/22/98, p. 1), the company was not as forthcoming regarding the reasons for the slip. Sources indicate that the project, under way for more than four years, is facing problems that could jeopardize Merced's existence as a viable product. Even if that chip is compromised, however, IA-64 itself is likely to prosper.

Intel's claims that Merced would deliver "industry-leading performance" were based in part on a plan to deliver the chip before most other 0.18-micron processors. This IC process advantage, not an instruction-set advantage, might have boosted Merced beyond competing products in performance. But with the latest delay, Merced will be competing on a more level playing field.

 

'Intel Inside' loses momentum to rivals
Report claims business' Intel-only policies are on the wane

August 5, 1998
The Register

A market research survey has shown that many US businesses are prepared to shift from Intel CPUs to alternative microprocessors from its competitors.

The news will bring comfort to AMD, NatSemi-Cyrix and IDT, all of which have endured a series of poor financial quarters, but could wipe the smile off Intel shareholders' faces.

 

Survey: Firms think twice on Intel

By Stephanie Miles

August 5, 1998
C/Net

A growing number of businesses don't care if their PCs feature Intel inside, according to a new survey, but that doesn't mean rivals will soon make substantial gains.

Although 90 percent of businesses have historically chosen Intel-based PCs, 34 percent of some 2,624 companies say they are considering switching over to AMD- or Cyrix-based systems, according to ZD Market Intelligence.

 

PC Processor Market Stratifies
AMD Only Vendor Making Broadside Attack

Michael Slater

August 3, 1998
Microprocessor Report

As the positions of each of Intel's competitors in the PC microprocessor market have evolved, it has become clear that most of the battle has been for the least expensive processors.

PC vendors have worked hard to bring down entry-level PC prices, scrutinizing the cost of every component in the system--and the microprocessor is no exception. Even Intel has gotten into the act, with the Celeron-266 soon to hit $86. Judging from the PCs that have been announced, Celeron's price seems acceptable for $999 models but not for systems selling for $799 or less.

 

Intel Discounts $500 Million Patent Suit

By Will Wade

August 5, 1998
Semiconductor Business News

Intel has denied that its Pentium microprocessors infringe on patents owned by an Illinois company, as alleged in a $500 million lawsuit filed recently.

"We've done an evaluation and we don't believe our products infringe on their patents," said an Intel spokesman. "We believe the suit has no merit, and we will defend ourselves vigorously."

See Related Stories

Intel hit with $500 million patent lawsuit

Other related stories

Intel tests cast doubt on IBM chip 'breakthrough'
SOI isn't always what it's cracked-up to be, says internal document

August 5, 1998
The Register

IBM's latest 'magic bullet' for faster, more efficient chips has failed to impress Intel's engineers, as an Intel internal briefing document makes clear.

Earlier this week, IBM said it had mastered a technology called silicon on insulator (SOI) which would give both a performance breakthrough and a reduction in power consumption on semiconductors. That, claimed IBM Microelectronics, could lead to processors operating at three times the speed they currently do.

See Related Stories

IBM takes SOI technology to market

Intel rubbishes Hyundai fab deal claims
'Abandoned' deal for Scottish plant never existed in the first place

August 5, 1998
The Register

Chip giant Intel has described reports that it considering investing in a Hyundai plant in Scotland as completely spurious.

Reports in the UK national press had said that Intel was set to play the white knight and rescue its empty semiconductor plant in Fife through a £700 million joint venture.

But Intel said today that those reports, and others suggesting that it would close its Leixlip, Dublin plant, are absolutely untrue. A representative said that the only conversations Intel had had with South Korean companies was following a trip that its CEO, Craig Barratt, made to South Korea earlier this year. Although Barratt had talked to various conglomerates including Samsung and Hyundai then, these talks were unrelated to possible acquisitions.

See Related Stories

Intel, Hyundai in venture talks

Intel Not Confirming Rescue Of Hyundai Plant

August 5, 1998

Study: Intel dominance ebbing

By Charles Cooper

August 4, 1998
ZD Net News

Intel Corp. remains the colossus of chipmakers but the giant company is losing its vice-like grip over the business.

An increasing number of businesses say they are willing to seriously consider buying computers powered by chips made by either of Intel's chief rivals, Advanced Micro Devices or Cyrix Corp., according to a study by ZD Market Intelligence to be released Wednesday.

 

Intel Showcases Mobile System Management

By Jennifer Hagendorf

August 4, 1998
Computer Reseller News

Intel previewed Monday new system-management capabilities for mobile systems at its Wired for Management Summit, held here.

The Santa Clara, Calif.-based company (company profile) demonstrated management features for notebook systems that allow for remote system wake-up and universal network boot. These features enable remote, off-hour administration and configuration of mobile systems via LAN or telephone line, said Terry Dickson, director of Intel's Wired for Management Initiative.

 

300-MHz Pentium II notebooks on tap

By Michael Kanellos

August 4, 1998
C/Net

A flotilla of new notebooks will set sail on September 9 when Intel releases a 300-MHz Pentium II for portable PCs and cuts prices on the rest of its mobile chip line.

What's more, the September price cuts will be closely followed by another round of price drops that will lower the 300-MHz chip from its introductory price of $637 to around $371, according to sources. Together, the new chip and two pricing actions could mark another stage in the notebook world's developing low-cost market.

 

Intel, Hyundai in venture talks

By Reuters

August 4, 1998
C/Net

Intel is in talks with Hyundai Group about forming a 700 million pound ($1.15 billion) joint venture to use the Korean company's semiconductor plant in Scotland, the Times newspaper reported.

The report in tomorrow's edition said the companies were considering producing memory chips 16 times more powerful than those made by Germany's Siemens at its plant in northeast England, which closed last week.

 

Intel Not Confirming Rescue Of Hyundai Plant

By Andrew Craig

August 5, 1998
TechWeb

Intel would not confirm reports Wednesday that it may step in to rescue Korean chip manufacturer Hyundai's troubled new semiconductor plant in Scotland.

Construction work on Hyundai's 1 billion pound ($1.64 billion) facility in Dunfermline, Scotland, was indefinitely suspended in June. The plant was originally expected to open at the end of this year. Hyundai blamed the downturn in the memory-chip market for the delay.

 
August 4, 1998

Intel hit with $500 million patent lawsuit

By Alexander Wolfe

August 3, 1998
EE Times

Intel Corp. has been hit with a $500 million lawsuit charging infringement of an obscure RISC-architecture patent developed by a once high-flying chip startup. Intel officials said the suit is without merit and they plan to contest it.

The patent at issue was awarded in November 1996 to International Meta Systems Inc., which was then developing the Meta6000 CPU, a Pentium Pro-class clone microprocessor intended to fit into a Pentium Socket-7 connector. Specifically, the patent is number 5,574,927, "RISC architecture computer configured for emulation of the instruction set of a target computer."

See Today's Related Stories

IBM takes SOI technology to market

By David Lammers

August 3, 1998
EE Times

IBM Corp. will use silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology to manufacture a range of logic ICs, starting with a PowerPC 750 microprocessor in the first half of 1999. By signaling that it is ready to apply SOI technology to volume manufacturing, IBM has set the stage for yet another epic shift in the semiconductor industry, less than eight months after saying it had reached a similar confidence level with copper interconnects.

IBM will combine copper interconnects with SOI transistors in a range of MPUs next year, and expects performance gains of 20 to 30 percent from the shift to SOI. By applying copper, SOI and low-k interlevel-metal dielectrics to the gigahertz processor design unveiled last February at the International Solid State Circuits Conference, IBM expects to be able to push commercial processor speeds to the gigahertz range in two to three years—faster than competitors such as Intel Corp.

 

IBM unveils performance-boosting chip technology

By Ed Scannell

August 3, 1998
InfoWorld Electric

IBM on Monday announced it has come up with a way of making high-speed transistors for micro chips that will result in significant performance improvements in its systems, ranging from multimillion-dollar mainframes to inexpensive handheld devices.

The new technology, called silicon-on-insulator (SOI), essentially is a method of protecting millions of transistors on a chip by wrapping it in a "blanket" of insulation. This blanket cuts down on the potential harmful electrical effects that can rob a chip's energy and adversely effect its performance, company officials said.

 
Today's Related Stories

Intel hit by $500 million lawsuit

By Michael Kanellos

August 3, 1998
C/Net

A technological consulting group is seeking approximately $500 million from Intel for alleged infringement on a patent relating to a now-defunct effort to develop Pentium-class chip clone.

TechSearch, an Illinois intellectual property consulting group, is pursuing a patent infringement case that alleges that some of the intellectual property underlying the Pentium Pro and Pentium II processors infringes upon patents issued to International Meta Systems (IMS).

 

Intel hit by $500 million patent suit
Small dud cloners patent the basis of action

August 4, 1998
The Register

A Chicago company is suing Intel for $500 million, claiming the Pentium infringes a patent it bought from a failed chip cloning company, and that Intel therefore owes it royalties.

The patent in question was awarded in November 1996 to International Meta Systems (IMS), and covers a Risc architecture configured to emulate the instruction set of another processor. But IMS didn't make a fortune out of its Pentium-cloning operations after all, and has been selling off its assets - this particular one went to an outfit called TechSearch.

 
August 3, 1998

IDT-Centaur is hurting

August 3, 1998
U-Geek

IDT, maker of the WinChip family of x86 chips, is losing money and will cut 400 jobs over the next six months. Most of the losses stemmed from a slowdown in the SRAM market, which IDT is heavily involved in. The profits from the WinChip were not enough to offset their other losses.

IDT also blames their failure to keep up with clock speeds from competing companies. Right now, the fastest WinChip runs at 240 MHz, compared to over 300 MHz for Cyrix (300PR), AMD, and Intel.

 

Intel, Compaq gird for 64-bit battle

By Alexander Wolfe

August 3, 1998
EE Times

A battle is heating up at the bleeding edge of microprocessor technology as Intel Corp. and Compaq Computer Corp.'s Alpha group rush to ready their competing 64-bit architectures. New technical details have come to light about the race, which pits Intel's Merced, due out in mid-2000, against the next-generation Alpha CPU, known as the 21364. (Compaq acquired the Alpha design team when it bought Digital Equipment Corp. in June.)

Intel hasn't talked much about Merced since last fall, when it outlined the explicitly parallel instruction computing (EPIC) architecture that forms the basis of the CPU. Compaq has said nothing about its plans for an improved Alpha, probably because a current design, called the 21264, is moving to market and won't ship in quantity until later this year.

 

IBM touts new chip technology

By Reuters

July 31, 1998
C/Net

IBM will unveil today a breakthrough in a process to build high-speed transistors that can boost the performance of computers and communications gear by up to 35 percent.

The world's largest computer maker said that the new technology called "silicon-on-insulator" (SOI), represents a fundamental advance in the way chips are built.

Specifically, silicon-on-insulator can be used to create higher performance microchips for big computer systems like servers and mainframes, and more power-efficient chips for battery-operated hand-held devices, like cellphones, it said.

See Today's Related Stories

Analysis: 370-pin Socket offers cheap manufacturing for Intel
Design will cause head-scratching amongst consumers and Intel customers

August 2, 1998
The Register

Amidst the flurry of product announcements and price cuts that Intel has made this year, its announcement of a fresh socket design next year has largely gone unnoticed.

But the truth is that it underlines Intel’s bid to dominate the low-end chip market and to use any means possible to do so.

Intel confirmed in mid-June that it will introduce a socket, which it is calling the 370-pin Socket, at some stage in 1999, so reversing its direction on the Slot technology which it has heavily promoted over the last two years.

 

Copper, copper everywhere

August 3, 1998
U-Geek

So far, almost every major chipmaker, including AMD, Motorola, Sun, Samsung, and IBM, has announced plans to move to copper interconnects for their major microprocessors in the next couple of years. Most plan to make the move while using .25 and .18 micron feature sizes.

Intel is the lone holdout, planning to move to copper interconnects in 2001 or 2002, when they move to a .13 micron process. This may give other chipmakers an edge for '99 and 2000. Some of the processor speeds that have been thrown around because of these announcements are a 600 MHz UltraSparc III, 1 GHz K7, 1 GHz PowerPC, and 1 GHz Alpha. Expect these chips to be out around the year 2000.

 

Intel Roadmap Shows Diverse Menu Of Chip Options

By Mark Hachman

July 31, 1998
Electronic Buyer's News

Having secured a beachhead in the mainstream PC arena, Intel Corp. is adopting an increasingly sophisticated strategy of segmentation as it renews its push into the server and low-cost PC markets.

What was once considered a “consumer PC,” designed around a Pentium or Pentium II processor, has splintered into no fewer than seven distinct classifications, each with its own price point. At least three separate “Mainstream Performance” and three “Basic PC” classes now complement an “Enthusiast” category. And at the high end of the market, Intel has identified six server and four workstation segments, according to the company’s latest confidential road map, which was obtained from an OEM customer.

 

Intel plans 450MHz systems this month
PII and Mendocino rolling out 'faster than expected'

August 3, 1998
The Register

Sources at Intel have confirmed that a 450MHz Pentium II and Mendocino 300- and 333MHz processors will now be released on the 24 August.

The Mendocino processors, which have a new core, will become part of the Celeron, cut-down processor family, and that means that further price cuts are likely at launch. The last time Intel cut prices on the Celeron family was at the end of July.

The 300MHz Mendocino processor will come both with and without level two cache, and was not slated to appear until much later this year, while the 333MHz Mendocino was not due to appear until early next year, the US sources said. The 450MHz Pentium II may also precipitate price cuts in the PII range.

 

Intel Speeds Up Graphics Pace

By Mark Hachman

July 31, 1998
Electronic Buyer's News

Intel Corp. will speed up the pace in which it introduces graphics chips in 1999, confidential roadmaps show. Intel introduced its current i740 graphics chip this past February, and is scheduled to debut its next-generation Portola chip in early 1999. Coloma, characterized as “the highest performance” chip for “enthusiast”-class PCs costing above $2,500, will be released in the second half of 1999. Intel’s competitors ship 1 to 2 major graphics products per year.  
Today's Related Stories

IBM cracks SOI technology for commercial IC use

August 3, 1998
Semiconductory Business News

IBM Corp here today announced a breakthrough in the use of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer technology, which the company said will be introduced into volume production in the first half of 1999 to make high-performance and power-efficient ICs for a range of system applications.

SOI substrates have long promised to dramatically improve the speed and power-consumption of transistors compared to standard silicon wafers used in commercial chip making. A hurdle in using SOI in commercial applications has been high cost. After 15 years of R&D work, IBM Microelectronics said it has developed a manufacturing process that's suitable for commercial products.

 

IBM Uses Niche Technology To Boost Chip Performance

By Crista Souza

August 3, 1998
Electronic Buyer's News

IBM Corp. has found a way to bring a niche chip-manufacturing technique to the mainstream and boost performance of its fastest microprocessors by more than 30%.

The Fishkill, N.Y., technology giant has incorporated the technique, known as silicon-on-insulator (SOI), into its main semiconductor production lines, and plans to introduce a 1-GHz PowerPC 750 chip in the first half of next year-well ahead of its closest rivals.

IBM is also eyeing SOI as a way to increase the power efficiency of its DSPs, ASICs, and other chips used in cellular handsets and portable electronic devices.

 

IBM Micro unveils another go-faster
Insulation innovation increases clock and cuts power draw

August 3, 1998
The Register

IBM Microelectronics said today it has made a further breakthrough in developing technology to create faster semiconductors.

That will supplement a copper-silicon technology it invented towards the end of last year and which it is close to introducing on some of its product range.

The latest breakthrough, called silicon-on-insulator (SOI), is expected to give benefits both in performance and on battery life, with Big Blue claiming that processors running at over 1000MHz will now be within reach.

 

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