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This Week's x86 Headlines
All other stories and details below
PC Week Online Intel chip strategy hinges on low cost, high power
The Register Intel says PCI-X last increment of bus
The Register Senior Intel executive confirms 370-pin socket by year end
The Register Katmai out of the bag
PC Week Online Intel sets sights on McKinley, set-top boxes, security
The Register Intel's Barrett outlines PC futures
Electronic Buyers' News Intel May Make Bid For 3Com
Electronic Buyer's News Analysts Say Don't Count On Intel-3Com Merger
EE Times Katmai details lead Intel's push to high-end PCs
InfoWorld Electric Intel ships utility to aid development of apps for Merced
San Jose Mercury News Hatch advises FTC to be careful on Intel case
PC-Week Online Intergraph asks for summary judgment in Intel dispute
The Register Intel spells out details of Merced simulation programme

 

x86 Weekly News

Collected By Robert R. Collins

Week of September 14, 1998

Older News

September 18, 1998

Hatch advises FTC to be careful on Intel case

By Reuters

September 17, 1998
San Jose Mercury News

Senate Judiciary Chairman Orrin Hatch said Thursday that the Federal Trade Commission needs to be ''careful'' as it pursues Intel Corp for alleged violations of antitrust law.

Hatch, a Utah Republican, dwelled mostly on potential violations of antitrust law by Microsoft Corp. in a speech to a conference sponsored by Summit Magazine.

 

Intergraph asks for summary judgment in Intel dispute

By PC Week Online Staff

September 17, 1998
PC-Week Online

Intergraph Corp. has asked a federal court for a summary judgment in its antitrust case with Intel Corp., saying a trial is not needed. In the same filing, the company also asked the court to dismiss Intel's motion for a summary judgment accepting its patent license defense against Intergraph's patent infringement claim.

According to the Huntsville, Ala., workstation manufacturer, "it is so clearly documented that the Intergraph patents were never licensed to Intel that a trial on the issue is not needed."

 

Intergraph argues trial unnecessary in Intel patent suit

By Nancy Weil

September 17, 1998
InfoWorld Electric

Intergraph wants its patent infringement lawsuit against Intel to be settled without a trial, contending in a motion filed Tuesday in Alabama that it can so clearly document its case that a judge should rule in the company's favor.

Intergraph says in its motion for summary judgment that it can prove the patents in question never were licensed to Intel. Such motions, which seek to have lawsuits dismissed before a trial begins, are common in court cases, but are seldom granted.

 

Intel spells out details of Merced simulation programme

September 17, 1998
The Register

Intel is engaged in an attempt to sign more developers up to its Merced
pre-silicon development environment programme.

Earlier this week, Craig Barrett, Intel’s CEO, said that a Merced processor will arrive in the middle of the year 2000. Silicon samples are expected in the second half of next year.

 

PCI-X Spec Gets Warm Reception

By Andy Patrizio

September 17, 1998
TechWeb

The new Peripheral Component Interconnect bus architecture, called PCI-X, could be in Intel-based servers by the end of 1999 if everything goes well with the PCI Steering Committee, a standards body.

PCI-X was developed by IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and Compaq, normally competitors in the PC server market, to provide a faster channel for high-speed input/output devices like gigabit Ethernet cards and Fibre Channel. The trio turned the specification over to the PCI Steering Committee for review, and so far, the committee likes what it sees.

 

Intel targets StrongARM chip at CE

By Michael Kanellos

September 17, 1998
C/Net

A funny thing is occurring at the Intel Developer Conference here. Mention the word "StrongARM"--the low-cost, low-power processor that Digital assigned to Intel late last year in a legal settlement--and no one runs away.

Indeed some companies are flocking to it. At least two computer makers will incorporate 200-MHz versions of an Intel StrongARM chip in handheld computers using the "Jupiter" version of Microsoft's Windows CE that will be announced later this year, said sources familiar with the upcoming announcements.

 

Intel Joins Unix Interface Effort

By Eileen Colkin and Tom Davey

September 17, 1998
InformationWeek

At its annual developers' forum Wednesday in Palm Springs, Calif., Intel said it will join a group of Unix vendors, including Sun Microsystems, Hewlett-Packard, Compaq, IBM, and SCO, in developing specifications for a standard driver interface for Unix operating systems.  
September 17, 1998

Intel May Make Bid For 3Com

By Mark LaPedus

September 16, 1998
Electronic Buyers' News

Amid losses in its LAN-equipment business, Intel is looking to expand that operation by reportedly holding talks to acquire a surprising and bitter rival, 3Com, according to analysts and other sources.

Reports have circulated for weeks that Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel may be looking to buy all or pieces of 3Com, which itself ran into trouble after its massive -- and painful -- acquisition of U.S. Robotics last year. 3Com (company profile said it hopes to pick up the pieces from the fallout, while also looking for a partner to fund its massive debt, analysts said.

 

Analysts Say Don't Count On Intel-3Com Merger

By Mark LaPedus

September 17, 1998
Electronic Buyer's News

While the industry is abuzz about talks between Intel Corp. and 3Com Corp. about a possible merger, industry analysts said they don't expect such a deal to take place.

“It’s not going to happen,” said Ashok Kumar, an analyst with Piper Jaffray Inc., Minneapolis. “What happened is that 3Com and Intel are involved in some product development areas, but the market may have misconstrued this into takeover talks.”

 

Katmai details lead Intel's push to high-end PCs

By Rick Boyd-Merritt and David Lammers

September 16, 1998
EE Times

In an effort to drive PCs forward, Intel Corp. rolled out new details about multimedia instruction-set extensions for its upcoming Katmai processor as the vanguard of a small army of new technologies, products and specifications it marshaled at the company's developer's forum here.

Despite the well-orchestrated barrage, debate was still sharp on the question of whether sluggish PC demand — especially at the high end — will rebound in the near future.

 

Intel's Katmai chip aimed at video

By Michael Kanellos

September 16, 1998
C/Net

If anything, the upcoming Katmai processors from Intel will be a boon for budding filmmakers.

The Katmai Pentium II processors due in the first quarter of 1999 will provide a boost to how 3D graphics and video data get viewed and manipulated on standard PCs. Katmai technology has also been referred to as "MMX 2," which is the successor to Intel's current MMX technology found in Pentium II processors.

 

Intel ships utility to aid development of apps for Merced

By Andy Santoni

September 17, 1998
InfoWorld Electric

Intel is shipping a "pre-silicon development environment" to independent hardware and software vendors to ensure that complementary products are available when the IA-64 Merced processor ships in mid-2000.

Provided at no charge, the software runs on an Intel architecture, 32-bit (IA-32) Pentium II-class system, explained Rumi Zahir, senior computer architect at Intel. The utilities aim to help developers get to market more quickly, he said.

 

Intel signs partners to drive Unix server interface

By Andy Santoni

September 16, 1998
InfoWorld Electric

Intel on Wednesday disclosed plans to join more than a half dozen I/O hardware and Unix OS vendors in a consortium to develop a standard device driver interface to drive growth in standard, high-volume servers.

The announcement was made by John Miner, Intel vice president and general manager of the Enterprise Server group, in a keynote address here at the Intel Developer Forum.

See Today's Related Stories

Despite slump, Halla pushes National forward

By Brian Fuller

September 17, 1998
EE Times

A year ago, Brian Halla was king of the world. He'd just turned National Semiconductor Corp. around in the wake of Gil Amelio's lackluster reign. He pumped life into earnings and helped lift the stock price to more than $40 a share. He sold businesses that didn't make sense and whittled the company strategy down to something that employees and customers alike could understand: system-on-a-chip.

This year, it's a different story. National's stock price has collapsed to $8 and the company is reporting losses instead of earnings. A financial report two weeks ago offered a glimmer of hope, but Halla acknowledges that neither the company — nor the industry — is out of the woods yet. For a moment, it seemed, National was back to the bad old days.

 

Rambus validates integration

September 16, 1998
The Register

Rambus has announced a component validation programme, designed to smooth the transition to Direct Rambus memory systems next year. Standard procedures required for verification in the new system will make it easier for customers to integrate the new products, Rambus said.

Validation procedures are being established for all the major components of a Direct Rambus memory system, which are the Direct RDRAMs devices, RIMM modules, RIMM connectors and clock components.

 

Intergraph asks for Intel ruling

By Reuters

September 16, 1998
C/Net

Intergraph yesterday asked a federal court for a summary judgment in its antitrust lawsuit against Intel.

The Huntsville, Alabama, workstation maker said in a statement it had asked the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama to use existing evidence to decide whether Intel took part in anticompetitive behavior, patent infringement, and antitrust violations, as Intergraph alleges. Intergraph also asked for a dismissal of Intel's earlier motion for a summary judgment on Intergraph's allegations of anticompetitive behavior and patent infringement.

 

Intel aims Celeron at notebooks

By Michael Kanellos

September 16, 1998
C/Net

Intel will release Celeron processors for notebook computers in the $1,299 to $1,399 range during the first half of 1999, in an effort to hitch onto the next wave of low-cost computing.

Meanwhile, the chipmaker has already launched a new line of extra low-power chips for mini-notebooks, handheld computers that run the Windows 95 and 98 operating systems. A new low-power 266-MHz Pentium MMX was released today.

 

Intel updates guidelines for mobile power consumption

By Ephraim Schwartz

September 16, 1998
InfoWorld Electric

Intel chose the perfect venue here this week, where temperatures climbed to 106 degrees, to unveil the next version of its Mobile Power Guidelines 2000 and to discuss "thermally manageable limits" for notebook PCs.

Working with most of the major system OEMs and component manufacturers, the goal of the initiative is to continue to increase notebook performance and battery life while limiting voltage and power consumption as well as the internal heat of a closed notebook system.

See Today's Related Stories

One-On-One With Intel’s Albert Yu

By Mark Hachman

September 16, 1998
Electronic Buyer's News

Intel’s Barrett Plans For Most “Intense” Year Yet

After a keynote speech at the Intel Developers’ Forum in Palm Springs, Albert Yu, senior vice-president and general manager for Intel corp.'s Microprocessor Products Group, sat down with EBN’s Mark Hachman.

 
Today's Related Stories

Intel pushing unified Unix

By Brooke Crothers

September 16, 1998
C/Net

Intel will work toward establishing common standards among different versions of the Unix operating system, a critical requirement as the company lays the groundwork for its high-end server and next-generation 64-bit Merced technologies.

In the creation of a "unified Unix," Intel will work with Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Sun Microsystems, and SCO, among other companies.

 

Intel sets power guidelines for mobile PCs

September 16, 1998
Semiconductor Business News

Intel Corp. announced here today at the Intel Developer Forum a revised set of specifications aimed at defining power consumption targets for chips used in mobile PCs.

To emphasize its point, the company also introduced a new version of the Pentium processor with a redesigned core and lower power usage, specifically targeted at the mobile market.

 
September 16, 1998

Katmai out of the bag

September 15, 1998
The Register

Intel has provided sneak details of its processor roadmap up until the year 2001 and has also given additional details of the Katmai instruction set it will introduce early next year.

Albert Yu, senior vice president in charge of the microprocessor unit, said that the development of additional instructions in Katmai was driven by the need for rich data applications, including MPEG and voice recognition.

 

Intel readies Katmai onslaught for 1999

By James Niccolai

September 15, 1998
InfoWorld Electric

Intel's top brass sketched out the company's microprocessor road map at its biannual developer forum here Tuesday, including plans for high-speed chips that support Intel's new, multimedia-enhancing Katmai instruction set.

"1999 will probably be the most intensive year for product announcements that we've seen for some time," said Craig Barrett, Intel's president and CEO, in his keynote address kicking off the three-day forum.

 

Intel foresees fork in its process road map

By Rick Boyd-Merritt

September 15, 1998
EE Times

Intel Corp. is positioning itself to put as much of its manufacturing clout behind low-cost, highly integrated peripheral chips as it traditionally has placed on its high-end microprocessors.

In a small group meeting here before delivering a keynote address at its Intel Developer's Forum, Intel president and chief executive officer Craig Barrett revealed the company is currently ramping up in tandem two "mainstream" 0.18-micron logic processes — one that would be geared for the needs of its high-end processors and another tailored to the requirements of its core logic, graphics and embedded semiconductors.

 

Intel sets sights on McKinley, set-top boxes, security

By Lisa DiCarlo

September 15, 1998
PC Week Online

The good news is that Intel Corp. (INTC) predicts worldwide penetration of connected PCs to explode from about 100 million today to 1 billion by 2005. The bad news is that computing is still dogged by ease-of-use, bandwidth and e-commerce security problems.

At its Developer Forum here, President and CEO Craig Barrett said Intel will increase its rate of investment in other companies and technologies to eradicate those problems and spark growth.

 

Next Exit: Mendocino
Intels new processors: Celeron 300A, Celeron 333, Pentium-II-450 and Pentium-II-Overdrive-333

By Georg Schnurer

Issue 18, 1998
c't Magazine

Intels cheap CPU is growing up: Celeron is getting an integrated L2 cache with the Mendocino processor core. This lets the come-on drug for Slot 1 get extremely close to the established Pentium-II processors. Intel immediately used the opportunity for shipping a 450-MHz model in the latter category.

Apparently Intel wanted to show them already at CeBIT Home, Celeron 300A, Celeron 333 and Pentium-II-450. The first two processors should make us forget about the 'old and weak' Celeron without L2 cache. At a first glance the new 450 is just a Pentium-II with a slightly higher clock frequency.

 

Intel's Barrett outlines PC futures

September 15, 1998
The Register

Craig Barrett, CEO of Intel, has opened the Intel Developers Forum in Palm Springs by outlining what he sees as the future of the PC. At the same time he said that there needed to be industry wide initiatives to address technological and security problems.

Those include building security into CPUs, chipsets and motherboards to make e-commerce safer, he said.

See Today's Related Stories

Rambus Rolls Out Validation Program To Help Chip Suppliers

By Andrew Maclellan

September 15, 1998
Electronic Buyer's News

Locking in another component of its high-speed DRAM memory strategy, Rambus Inc. today rolled out a validation program to help memory chip suppliers and OEMs in their transition to Direct Rambus DRAM (RDRAM).

Announced at the Intel Developers’ Forum, the validation program will allow all components developed for the emerging 800-MHz memory interface to be verified, including the Direct RDRAM chip, Rambus In-line Memory Module (RIMM), RIMM connector, and clock source.

 

Intel thinks intelligent fridge will rule roost in 2005

September 15, 1998
The Register

Intel has outlined a vision of the future where entire families’ lives will be controlled by a know-it-all PC built into the superstructure of a house.

But, perhaps fortunately, it could be as long as seven years before this vision comes to pass.

At a demonstration of future technology held at Intel’s Developer Forum today, a representative from Intel showed a video demonstrating the future as the chip company foresees it.

 
Today's Related Stories

Intel's CEO Promises Intense Year

By Mark Hachman

September 15, 1998
Electronic Buyers' News

Speaking Tuesday at the opening morning of the Intel Developers' Forum, Intel president and CEO Craig Barrett said 1999 would become the most intense year of new processor introductions in the company's history, despite what some analysts are calling an industry downturn.

While some companies may hesitate and let their competitors get ahead in a down cycle, Intel (company profile) intends to aggressively pursue processor and other technology introductions in the coming year. "I guess the message I'd like to get out is don't let the cycle, the economic cycle, get you down," said Albert Yu, senior vice-president of Intel's Microprocessor Products Group.

 
September 15, 1998

Intel says PCI-X last increment of bus

September 15, 1998
The Register

Intel has given a qualified welcome to the PCI-X specification proposed by IBM, Compaq and HP, but said that it was likely to be the last iteration of PCI.

Mitch Schultz, head of IO initiatives at Intel US, said that the company had only just received the proposed specification. "In general our view is that it’s potentially very positive," he said.

 

Senior Intel executive confirms 370-pin socket by year end

September 15, 1998
The Register

Albert Yu, senior vice president of Intel’s microprocessor products group, said today that the 370-pin socket version of the Celeron is now likely to arrive towards the end of the year.

Speaking on the eve of Intel’s Developers Forum, Yu said that the primary reason for moving to the socket was because of cost considerations. The socket is aimed at the Basic PC end of the processor market.

 

Intel moves to reassure industry on bugs

September 14, 1998
The Register

Intel has admitted that it is impossible to prevent bugs from escaping its testing process. But today it moved to reassure end users and customers that its bug testing process is up to the task of dealing with the complexity of this and future generations of its microprocessors.

That follows bad publicity given to Intel earlier this year over an erratum with its Xeon line of server chips.

 

Intel slashes chip prices

By Brooke Crothers

September 14, 1998
C/Net

Intel, pushing to blanket the market with Pentium II technology, announced price cuts today across its line of chips.

"Continued strong acceptance of Pentium II processors enables Intel to aggressively ramp these products into higher volume price points," the company said in a statement.

After Intel introduced its "market segmentation" strategy--which targets chips for specific markets--earlier this year, price cuts are occurring on a monthly basis, an Intel spokesman said.

 
September 14, 1998

Intel chip strategy hinges on low cost, high power

By Lisa DiCarlo

September 11, 1998
PC Week Online

Lower-cost desktops will become attractive options for corporate buyers, not just consumers, early next year as Intel Corp. (INTC) marries fast, low-end processors with networking and management features.

Intel is planning faster processor and bus speeds for its low-end Celeron chip while championing the use of 10/100M-bps Ethernet and client management standards in systems based on the chip, said sources close to the Santa Clara, Calif., company.

 

Kodak, Intel team on chips, photo CDs

By Stephanie Miles

September 11, 1998
C/Net

Later this month at an industry event, Kodak and Intel will detail a plan to offer consumers digitized photographs on CDs and elaborate on a digital camera technology based on a lower-cost design, the first fruit of their six-month-old digital imaging alliance.

On September 28, the two companies are expected to launch Kodak Picture CDs, low-priced CD-ROM disks intended to store digitized versions of photographs taken with a traditional camera and film.

 

Intel to spell out 1999 notebook plans

By John G. Spooner and Lisa DiCarlo

September 11, 1998
PC Week Online

With new processors and chip sets in hand, Intel Corp. (INTC) is looking to close the price/ performance gap between notebook and desktop PCs.

The Santa Clara, Calif., company will outline its 1999 notebook plans at next week's Intel Developer Forum in Palm Springs, Calif.

On next year's docket: a new Celeron-based class of notebooks and next-generation Pentium II chips with Katmai New Instructions, a set of 70 instructions for three-dimensional graphics, said sources familiar with Intel's plans.

 

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