x86 Weekly News Collected By Robert R. Collins |
Week of November 16, 1998 |
Older News |
November 20, 1998 | ||
Intel, FTC prepare for antitrust showdownBy George Leopold November 20, 1998 |
Intel Corp. and the Federal Trade
Commission are putting the finishing touches on their
cases in advance of a much-anticipated Feb. 23 hearing on
antitrust allegations against the chip maker. The trial was delayed in October by mutual agreement to allow both sides to collect more evidence, a process referred to as third-party discovery. The heavy case load of James Timony, the FTC administrative law judge overseeing the case, also contributed to the delay. The trial originally was to begin on Jan. 12. |
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Intel, Via sign Slot 1 chip set dealBy Terho Uimonen November 19, 1998 |
Via Technologies is on the brink of
becoming the first chip set vendor to sign a licensing agreement for Slot 1 with Intel, company officials said here Wednesday at the Comdex show. The licensing agreement will make the Fremont, Calif.-based Via the first alternative supplier to have the rights to sell chip sets for systems powered by Intel's Celeron and Pentium II processors, officials said. |
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AMD's K6-2, Windows 95 incompatibility confirmedBy Andy Santoni November 19, 1998 |
An incompatibility between Windows 95
and Advanced Micro Devices K6-2 processors running at
350-MHz or faster can keep systems from booting, AMD
officials confirmed on Thursday. According to a notice posted on AMD's Web site, starting Windows 95 OSR2, OSR2.1, or OSR2.5 on a computer with an AMD K6-2 processor running at 350-MHz or faster may result in one of three error messages. |
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AMD Shows Off K7 Chip, MotherboardBy Kristen Kenedy November 19, 1998 |
Advanced Micro Devices allowed some of
the first sneak peeks at its new K7 processor and
motherboard design here at Comdex/Fall '98 this week. The K7 uses a 200-MHz bus technology pioneered by the high-end Alpha processor but fitted to be "mechanically compatible" with Intel's Slot 1 CPU interface. Using this design, AMD officials said, manufacturers can use parts already available on the market to build K7 motherboards, though the new motherboards won't be able to support Intel CPUs. |
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Intel says there is shortage of Pentium IIsBy Mike Magee November 20, 1998 |
Intel has confirmed there is a shortage
of Pentium II processors, particularly of the 350MHz
flavour. That transpired after Intel's chief technology officer Andy Bryant briefed Wall Street analysts yesterday and told them his company had "sold out of chips" for the fourth quarter. An Intel representative said: "There is a shortage of 350MHz Pentium IIs, particularly in Europe." He said that the shortfall was due to increased demand. |
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Intel's Craig Barrett gives his take on the state of the industryBy EBN Staff November 20, 1998 |
While Intel Corp. pulled out of the Comdex/Fall '98 trade show last week by opting not to display its wares on the show floor, Intel president and chief executive Craig Barrett was busy in meetings at a hotel here, and participated in the keynote panel event called Technically Incorrect, a spoof of the popular Politically Incorrect TV show. Barrett also had time to spend with a half-dozen EBN editors, who peppered him with a broad range of questions. Below are excerpts of that interview. | |
November 19, 1998 | ||
Intel demonstrates system with Direct Rambus DRAMBy Andrew MacLellan November 19, 1998 |
Intel Corp. aired out its
next-generation PC platform here at Comdex today,
demonstrating a system running with new Direct Rambus
DRAM main memory and a 133-MHz front-side bus. Though there are bugs remaining to be worked out, Intel and its partners said they have all of the pieces in place to ensure Rambus and its constituent parts will be available for next year's PC market. While the company did not identify other components of its new, high-speed platform, next year's PCs are expected to contain a Katmai processor running upwards of 400-MHz as well as a version of the so-called Camino chipset, both of which are slated for introduction in the first half of 1999. |
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AMD Drumming Up K7 SupportBy Amber Howle November 18, 1998 |
Continuing its efforts to provide
lower-priced alternatives to processors from Intel Corp.,
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Inc. recently teamed up with
chipset vendors to support its K7 processor, which is due
out next year. Acer Laboratories Inc. (ALi) and VIA Technologies Inc., both based in Taipei, are developing core logic chipsets to support AMD's K7. AMD, Sunnyvale, Calif., will give the vendors validation resources to aid the development process. |
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Fabless chip companies are flawed, AMD claimsBy Drew Cullen November 18, 1998 |
The going will be tough for new fabless
CPU companies - Rise, Transmeta and others of that
ilk - predicts Dana Krelle, AMD vice president. Fabless companies are operating a flawed business model, which will turn them into bottom feeders, he claims. Only by innovating ahead of Intel are you able to add value, he says. Fabless chip companies will be unable to do this, he says. |
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Win95 bug could spread to other CPU platforms than AMDBy Mike Magee November 19, 1998 |
A software problem with Windows 95 that
prevented AMD K6-2s from working properly may have the
same effects on Intel processors. And even Cyrix processors may be affected. The software bug in Windows 95, which Microsoft claims it has fixed, means that K6-2 processors can crash at start-up. But the software problem is not just confined to AMD processors, according to a senior software engineer. |
See Related Stories |
AMD steps up the pressureBy Martin Veitch November 18, 1998 |
AMD is set to provide enterprises with a
genuine alternative to Intel in all categories of PCs.
The Californian chip maker's plan will help bring down
prices and spur competition across mobile, desktop and
server computing. At this week's Comdex, AMD detailed its plans to build on recent successes in consumer PCs with a push on the commercial and notebook sector. The roadmap looks solid and represents perhaps a serious challenge to Intel's near-monopoly of the space. Early in 1999, AMD plans to release Sharptooth, a successor to its K6-2 processor aimed at the mainstream market which should be particularly effective on Windows NT. Bolstered by a 128KB L1 cache and 256KB L2 on-chip cache, the 400MHz chip outperformed a 450MHz Pentium II based on the Winstone 98 benchmark in a show demonstration. |
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Intel back-tracks on PC-on-a-chip integrated CPUsBy Tony Smith November 18, 1998 |
Intel has decided it's not quite as
averse to the PC-on-a-chip concept as it used to be, and
confessed it will offer such a product in 2000. According to Intel's senior VP of server architecture, Paul Ottelini, quoted on CNET, the Great Satan will use integrated CPUs to attempt to win back ground at the low end lost to the likes of Cyrix and, in particular, AMD. |
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Dixons claims Intel losing budget PC market shareBy Mike Magee November 19, 1998 |
Dixons has hit back at Intel after the
chip giant's CEO claimed the UK retailer charges
"ridiculous margins" for PCs. Craig Barrett, CEO of Intel, made the comments at Comdex/Fall yesterday, backed up by senior VP Paul Otellini. Barrett, when he visited London last, cavilled at European sales and made references to some outlets selling product at higher than necessary prices. |
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Dixons baffled by Intel accusationBy Chiyo Robertson November 19, 1998 |
The UK's largest electrical retailer
Dixons reacted angrily today to a verbal attack on its
pricing by Intel's chief executive Craig Barrett. Barrett and Paul Otellini, vice president of Intel's architecture business group, launched into the PC retailer at Comdex Fall accusing the group of charging "ridiculous margins" for PCs. However, Dixons' turned the criticism round to shame Intel's eroding market position as a result of rival chip makers, such as Cyrix and AMD, eating into its profits. "We can make no sense of this comment. Intel is probably interpreting its loss of market share in our stores as a problem in the market as a whole," a Dixons Spokesperson said. |
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Intel's Barrett proves to be a good soldierBy Deborah Gage November 18, 1998 |
Intel Corp. and Microsoft Corp. may have
their differences, but Intel President and CEO Craig
Barrett cannot be goaded into saying bad things about the
software giant or its Chairman Bill Gates. Barrett tried a new style of keynote speech here Wednesday at Comdex/Fall, allowing himself to be verbally abused by pundit Bill Maher and assorted guests. Maher, who hosts ABC's Politically Incorrect, did his best to pin down Barrett on whether Gates is the modern version of a robber baron. |
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Comdex 98 updated: Intel's CEO has strange streakBy the Register team November 18, 1998 |
The CEO of Intel has revealed a strange
streak in his nature, our correspondent at Comdex, Mike
O'Processor, reports. Skulking around the edge of the show, Mike noticed Esther Fison, the famous journalist, participating in an incorrect hour with a not very funny American comedian called Bill Maher. Barrett made an indirect reference to UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and his sidekick Peter Mandelson when he suggested that the Post Office should be shut down in favour of PC terminals. |
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November 18, 1998 | ||
Intel
gives in to chip integration
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Integrated processors--a move that Intel
has criticized and avoided in the past--will be coming
out of the company in 2000, said a company executive here
at Comdex, escalating a push to make its chips more
competitive. The integrated chips will be for low-end computers, said Paul Otellini, vice president of server architecture at the company, a segment where Intel has recently lost market share. The company is now facing unsettling market share incursions as AMD and National Semiconductor's Cyrix arm capture more and more this crucial turf. For instance, more than half of the sub-$1,000 desktop retail PC market has gone to AMD in recent months, according to market research houses. |
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AMD users go through roof at $35 fix for K6-2 crashBy Mike Magee November 17, 1998 |
Users have reacted in disbelief and fury
that they will have to pay $35 for a software patch which
will fix problems they have with K6-2 processors. AMD is not making the patch, which fixes a problem in the Win95 operating environment, available on its Web site. The reason for that is because of commercial considerations, a company representative confirmed today. |
See Related Stories |
Server architecture challenges IntelBy Michael Kanellos November 16, 1998 |
IBM, Compaq, and HP, fresh off their
success with the PCI-X server architecture proposal, are
working on another architectural proposal for the
generation of servers coming out in 2001 and beyond that
directly challenges Intel's plans. The three computer companies and Intel are at loggerheads over the future specifications for the data input-output systems in the next generation of servers. |
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AMD,
Rise Launch New Processors
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Rise Technology has unveiled its first
mP6 processors aimed squarely at low-cost PCs, while
Advanced Micro Devices has launched its fastest K6-2
processor to date. AMD said its new 400MHz version of the K6-2 puts the company only one speed grade behind market leader Intel's high-end 450MHz Pentium II processor. Compaq was the first major PC vendor to announce new consumer models using the AMD processor. The company's Presario line will incorporate the 400MHz K6-2. |
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AMD Takes Aim At Intel SegmentationBy Matt Hines November 18, 1998 |
Advanced Micro Devices Inc. [NYSE:AMD] is hoping to follow market-leader Intel Corp. [NASDAQ:INTC] into every segment of the microprocessor arena and beat the industry bellwether on price and performance, company officials said today at Comdex. The firm is demonstrating its latest chip technology at the giant conference and it's safe to say AMD is no longer satisfied with its role as a provider for low-end machines. | |
Intel Cans Keynote In Favor Of ComedyBy Matt Hines November 17, 1998 |
At the show of shows where madness and mayhem rule, Intel Corp. [NASDAQ:INTC] today took perhaps the freshest approach to a keynote address in recent Comdex history. Labeled "Technically Incorrect," the informal mock episode of the ABC television program "Politically Incorrect" proved to be insightful as well as extremely humorous among a series of speeches which have done little to shock or surprise conference attendees. | |
November 17, 1998 | ||
AMD K6-2s crash with Win95By Mike Magee November 17, 1998 |
AMD has blamed Microsoft for a software
problem affecting PCs using its K6-2 350MHz or faster chips which means machines hang and need re-booting. The problem, which only affects machines running Windows 95, can be fixed by a software patch but end users cannot obtain that from AMD. Instead, according to Rana Mainee, AMD's European market analyst, end users must find the patch on the Microsoft site. |
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Mobile Celeron will arrive at January endBy Mike Magee November 17, 1998 |
Great Beast Intel is shipping completed
samples of its Celeron mobile processor, embedded in notebooks. As reported here earlier from the Intel Developer Forum, Intel is developing a Celeron mobile processor. Now sources close to the company tell The Register that the product, codenamed Dixon, will ship towards the end of January next year. |
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Rising to the chip challengeBy Michael Kanellos November 16, 1998 |
Rise Technology officially entered the
Intel clone market today with chips that are deliberately
priced at the very bottom of the market. . Rise, which is one of five companies selling a microprocessor based around Intel's "X86" processor architecture, is attempting to carve a niche for itself as a low-cost, low-power silicon provider. The thermal and cost parameters of Rise's mP6 chips are designed to allow vendors to create small, and relatively inexpensive, notebooks and set-top boxes. |
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AMD does hat trick with new chipsBy Michael Kanellos November 16, 1998 |
Advanced Micro Devices released a trio
of K6-2 microprocessors today and said its first focused
products for notebooks, the K6-3, will come out in the
first quarter of next year. The three new K6-2 processors, which run at 366, 380, and 400 MHz, serve to reduce the speed gap between AMD processors and processors from rival Intel, which now tap out at 450 MHz. Historically, a larger speed gap has existed. |
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November 16, 1998 | ||
Rise targets first MPUs at low-end PC arenaNovember 16, 1998 |
At Comdex Fall '98 here today, Rise
Technology Co. made its first formal product
introductions, launching three new x86-compatible
microprocessors for low-end personal computers. The
Silicon Valley startup also said it plans to introduce a
more powerful microprocessor series in 1999. The first members of Rise's mP6 line are a 266-MHz device, along with a 233-MHz version and a 166-MHz version, priced respectively at $70, $60, and $50. Those speeds and prices will likely make the chips stiff competition for other companies attempting to find sockets in the least expensive PCs, notably National Semiconductor Corp.'s Cyrix division and Integrated Device Technology Inc.'s WinChip unit. |
See Today's Related Stories |
Patent hints at Transmeta's plansBy Ron Wilson November 13, 1998 |
A patent granted to Transmeta Corp. may
give an early glimpse into the highly secretive startup's
architecture and business plan. The 1996 patent, which
covers techniques for recovering from exceptions while
one processor is executing code translated from another
processor's instruction set, describes a preferred
embodiment that may in fact be the Transmeta chip. The architecture is a simple VLIW implementation with multiple integer, floating-point and load/store units. Added hardware features tune the architecture to work with an on-the-fly code translator patterned after X86-code-conversion software from the former Digital Equipment Corp. |
See Today's Related Stories |
Cyrix designs wireless Net deviceBy Stephanie Miles November 13, 1998 |
Cyrix has developed a reference design
for a handheld wireless Internet device it will demo at
Comdex next week, hoping to snap its Comdex losing
streak. Cyrix believes the WebPAD will bring Internet
access into the homes of the approximately 60 percent of
Americans who do not own PCs. Attempting to move beyond
the traditional PC mode of Internet connectivity, the
WebPAD is more of a communication device and not a
computer. It offers no other functions or applications,
just Net access. |
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AMD announces faster K6-2s, chipset support for K7By Mark Hachman November 16, 1998 |
Silicon Valley With the announcement of
a 400-MHz K6-2 microprocessor today, Advanced Micro
Devices Inc. has almost reached the raw clock speed of
processors designed by its rival, Intel Corp. AMD, based in Sunnyvale, Calif., announced the immediate availability of K6-2 chips running at 366, 380, and 400 MHz. In addition, AMD said that Taiwanese chipset suppliers Via Technologies Inc. and Acer Labs Inc. will design chipsets for its forthcoming K7 microprocessor. |
See Today's Related Stories |
Intel pushes toward 600-MHz mobile chipsBy Michael Kanellos November 13, 1998 |
Intel executives showed off yet another
peculiar PC design to prove that small is cool as it laid
out chip plans for compact and mobile PCs. Notebooks will contain chips that run at 600-MHz and up in the second half of 1999, the same speed that desktop chips will achieve at that time and more than twice the speed of the fastest Intel-based notebooks today, company executives said at the company's semiannual analysts conference today. |
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Intel expedites new, faster CeleronsBy Lisa DiCarlo November 13, 1998 |
Intel Corp. is working to make up for
lost time in the low-cost PC market. The Santa Clara, Calif., company has moved up the release date of several processors geared toward low-priced desktops and notebooks, according to sources. It has also added faster processors, more capable chip sets and management features to its low-end road map. |
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Comdex/Fall goes Intel 370-pin crazyBy Mike Magee November 16, 1998 |
Soyo is readying a 370 pin motherboard
as a number of manufacturers in Taiwan and in the Far
East seek to obey Intel's dictat, according to sources
close to the company's plans. The company has just released a MicroATX format board based on familiar socket systems but The Register understands that all Taiwanese companies are under non disclosure agreements not to mention the 370-pin socket they will use. |
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Intel plans massive cost cuttingBy Michael Kanellos November 13, 1998 |
Pushing the technological envelope is
job one at Intel, but cutting costs isn't far behind. Cost containment will become one of the primary objectives at Intel in 1999, and will rank in importance with product development and research, chairman Andy Grove and other Intel executives said today at its semiannual analysts meeting in San Francisco. Company executives also said that smaller computer designs will proliferate in the market in 1999 as Asian manufacturers come to market with a raft of new computers at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. Notebooks, meanwhile, will see Pentium II chips running at more than 600-MHz in the second half. |
See Today's Related Stories |
Advanced Micro Sees Rising SalesBy Reuters November 13, 1998 |
Advanced Micro Devices CEO Jerry Sanders
forecast rising sales during the next three years
Thursday as the chip maker brings out more products to
compete against rival Intel. Speaking at a meeting with financial analysts at AMD's headquarters in Sunnyvale, Calif., Sanders said revenue in 1999 could be $3.7 billion, rising to $4.4 billion in 2000 and $5.8 billion the following year. |
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Intel sees strength across all its product segmentsBy Mark Hachman November 13, 1998 |
Following a pre-announcement of
stronger-than-expected second-half sales, Intel Corp.
told analysts today that it expects strong second-half
sales across all of its product segments. In the first half of its fall analysts meeting, Intel said that Pentium II-based PCs represent 60% of the worldwide PC market. "In summary, the business in the second half should be stronger," said Pat Maloney, vice president and director of sales and marketing at Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel. "PC technology and all supporting products are healthy and driving the development of the business." |
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Intel
mulls I/O truce
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A prospective peace accord in the
development of competing server I/O
architectures--prompted by unprecedented acquiescence by
Intel Corp.--could actually hinder adoption of a
switched-fabric standard. IBM, Hewlett-Packard Co. and Compaq Computer Corp. may agree to drop development of a switched-fabric I/O that would double the sustained speed of PCI in favor of a similar effort from Intel, said sources close to the situation. The troika had planned to announce its switched-fabric architecture project at Comdex this week. But now that announcement is on hold because Intel is considering protecting the three companies' intellectual property rights, sources said. |
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Intel To Put Big Money Into ResearchNovember 15, 1998 |
Intel is setting its sights on the
server and workstation marketto the tune of $1 billion in
research and development next year. During its fall meeting with financial analysts in San Francisco Friday, Intel executives outlined the chip company's plans for 1999 and beyond. The half-day meeting covered a broad range of subjects, from processor plans to market strategies to cost-cutting efforts. |
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'Intel inside': Not just hardware anymoreBy Deborah Gage November 13, 1998 |
Intel Corp. is investing heavily in
software start-ups in an effort to ensure the success of
its upcoming IA-64 architecture and to cement its role as
a serious player in the enterprise. Moreover, to trumpet the upcoming 64-bit processor line, Intel has done an about-face and is allowing companies to disclose Intel's investments. That gives both Intel and the companies the cachet of being associated with 64-bit computing. It also tempts harsh criticism from Microsoft Corp., which has allegedly pressured Intel to stay out of the software business on several occasions. |
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Intel's Friday 13th Part V: The gory endBy Mike Magee November 15, 1998
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Chip giant Intel has claimed that it has
brought its traditional three year cycle down to two
years and at the same time said its packaging plans were
ahead of its competition. Sunlin Chou, VP of the technology and marketing group at Intel US, told analysts on Friday that while its chip cycle stood at three years in 1994, it was on target to move that to two years by next year, from .25 micron processs technology to .18 micron. |
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Intel's Friday 13th Part IV: Merced die makes appearanceBy Mike Magee November 15, 1998 |
Intel has disclosed more details about
its segmented roadmap and for the first time has shown a
diagram of the Merced die. And Paul Otellini, executive VP, Intel architecture business group, described the Celeron platform "fresh from the factory" and the "fighting brand". Speaking at an Intel analyst forum on Friday, he said the ramp was the fastest release of CPUs for Intel ever, with four times volume growth between Q2 and Q3 of this year. |
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Intel's Friday 13th Part III: Yaquina & Twister on viewBy Mike Magee November 15, 1998 |
Intel has revealed further details of
its ease of use designs for PC, codenamed Yaquina and
Twister. Yaquina, which will appear in three versions on different stands at Comdex/Fall during this week, will come in three designs. The machines will use a 500MHz processor, have an 8Gb hard drive, 128Mb of memory, and USB. The boxes are intended to move end users away from the burden of legacy systems, claimed Pat Gelsinger, VP and general manager of Intel's desktop products group, speaking at Intel's autumn analysts meeting. |
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Intel
and HP: Strange bedfellows
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Two years ago, engineers at
Hewlett-Packard Co.'s development labs came to a painful
conclusion: The 64-bit Merced chip HP was developing with
Intel Corp. would not be powerful enough to surpass HP's
existing PA-RISC architecture. So, HP set out--on its own--to design a new processor based on the same underpinnings as Merced but with a different system I/O and bus implementation as well as other capabilities. |
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Be abuzz about Intel investment, Hitachi supportBy Anthony Cataldo November 12, 1998 |
Fledgling operating-system developer Be
Inc. is expected to roll out version 4.0 of BeOS at
Comdex next week. This is on top of getting two recent
shots in the arm: Hitachi Ltd. has agreed to bundle BeOS
onto a PC that will be sold in Japan, and Be executives
confirmed that Intel Corp. has taken an equity investment
in the company. Be expects at least one more OEM to announce support for its OS before the end of the year. Following Hitachi's announcement here, Be executives told EE Times that Intel has invested an undisclosed amount in Be over the last year as both companies worked to optimize Be's operating system for the Intel platform. Be and Intel are to make a formal announcement next week at Comdex. |
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Today's Related Stories | ||
Start-up Rise Technology reveals chip pricing strategyBy Mark Hachman November 16, 1998 |
Silicon Valley PC microprocessor vendor
Rise Technology Co. will tip its hand a bit further today
as it reveals the speeds and prices of the company's new
mP6 microprocessors. After formally disclosing its first chip designs at September's Microprocessor Forum, Rise executives unveiled working mP6 microprocessors running at what the company said is the equivalent of 266-, 233-, and 166-MHz clock rates. Because Rise claims to offer more multimedia performance per clock cycle than processors designed by Intel Corp., the start-up will use a performance rating akin to that used by CPU maker Cyrix Corp. to compare rival chips. |
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One Processor Fits AllBy Chris Oakes and Christopher Jones November 13, 1998 |
One of Silicon Valley's most secretive
start-ups may be working on an innovative microprocessor
that can run multiple operating systems and all the
software programs that they support. On 3 November, the US Patent and Trademark office issued a patent to Transmeta, one of the Valley's most closely watched technology companies, and the object of enormous speculation. |
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AMD introduces 400MHz partBy Linda Harrison November 16, 1998 |
AMD has formally announced the
introduction of its 400MHz K6-2 chip. And the company claimed that Compaq, which uses the chip have combined forces to offer the first broadband Internet-ready PCs. That might be true in the US but there are still problems with DSL technology in Europe, as reported here earlier. |
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Intel Will Lower Costs Further In 1999By Reuters November 14, 1998 |
Intel will continue its aggressive push
to lower costs in a move that could boost profits,
executives of the world's largest computer chip maker
said Friday. Because of plunging PC prices, Intel's average price per chip has moderated in recent quarters and has been flat for the past five. That means profit growth has to come from selling more chips or from cutting costs and running its business more efficiently. |
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Intel Emphasizes Cost-Cutting Efforts At Wall St. MeetingBy Mark Hachman November 13, 1998 |
Intel Corp. reiterated its rosy outlook
for the second half of the year, predicting strong sales
across all product lines at its semi-annual meeting for
Wall Street analysts. At past meetings, Intel has used the opportunity to provide limited guidance into future product roadmaps and initiatives. At last year's meeting, for example, Intel described its move into low-cost PC processors. Today, executives spent as much time describing the technical details of Intel's manufacturing processes and internal cost-cutting measures as they did outlining Intel's product directions. |