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Microprocessor
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| Top Stories for March 9, 2000 (details below) | |
| PC Week Online | Now it's Intel's turn to hit 1GHz mark |
| C/Net | Intel chip outpaces Athlon |
| Electronic Buyers' News | lead times for 1-GHz PCs |
| EE Times | Samsung to boost Rambus DRAM output; Hyundai considers increase |
| The Register Files | |
| The Register | Intel wades in with 1GHz Pentium III |
| The Register | Scarcity of mobos hits AMD platforms |
| Today's Related Stories | |
| Semiconductor Business News | Intel offers limited quantities of 1-GHz Pentium III processors |
| C/Net | Intel follows AMD with 1-GHz chip |
| Computer Reseller News | Intel Launches 1GHz Pentium III Follows AMD In Reaching Gigahertz Milestone |
| Microprocessor
Headline News Collected By Robert R. Collins |
Week of March 5, 2000 |
Older News |
| March 9, 2000 | ||
Now it's Intel's turn to hit 1GHz markBy Ken Popovich March 8, 2000 |
While Intel Corp. concedes it lost the race to deliver the first 1GHz processors to the market, the chip maker today claimed it has once again retaken the microprocessor speed crown with the release of a 1GHz Pentium III.
But while there may be some debate about who has the fastest processor, there can be little argument that Advanced Micro Devices Inc.'s recent ability to compete successfully with its Athlon chip has had an impact on Intel, spurring the company to hurry processors into production and forcing it to price its products more competitively. |
See Today's Related Stories |
Intel chip outpaces AthlonBy Michael Kanellos March 8, 2000 |
Although AMD released its 1-GHz microprocessor first, Intel can boast that its chip provides an edge in performance, at least for the moment, testers say.
Benchmark testers and analysts who've test driven the super-fast chips generally agree that Intel's 1-GHz Pentium III holds a performance margin over AMD's 1-GHz Athlon when it comes to running 3D applications, games and other programs. |
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OEMs cite aggressive lead times for 1-GHz PCsBy Mark Hachman March 8, 2000 |
Now that the race to field the PC market's first 1-GHz microprocessor has been run, Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and Intel Corp. will get down to the business of supplying customer demand.
With the launch today of Intel's fastest Pentium III processor yet, the company is apparently positioned to at least match, if not beat, the price and lead times of AMD's rival 1-GHz Athlon chips, according to observers. |
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Samsung to boost Rambus DRAM output; Hyundai considers increaseBy Yoonhee Park March 8, 2000 |
Preparing for higher demand, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. is boosting its Rambus DRAM production fivefold and Hyundai Electronics Co. Ltd. is considering an expansion of its RDRAM
production.
Both companies believe RDRAM demand will increase with the introduction of high-performance PCs and game players. |
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The Register Files |
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Intel wades in with 1GHz Pentium IIIBy Mike Magee March 8, 2000 |
As predicted here 10 days back, Intel today will announce the arrival of a 1GHz Pentium III at a speed of one gigahertz and costing $990 in quantitites of 1,000.
The company cited a SPECint 2000 benchmark of 410, and a SPECfp2000 score of 284, compared to the Pentium III 800's equivalent of 355 and 256 respectively. The processor, said Intel, will be available initially in SECC2 (Slot One) packaging but at first will only be available in limited quantities. |
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Scarcity of mobos hits AMD platformsBy Mike Magee March 8, 2000 |
Suppliers of systems using AMD's Athlon processor have reported a shortage of motherboards for the chip to plug into.
That follows an exceptional day of trading in AMD shares, with the price of each rising to $55 before trading shut in Wall Street. For most of last year, AMD's share price trundled along at between $16 and $20, following consistently bad financial results. |
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Today's Related Stories |
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Intel offers limited quantities of 1-GHz Pentium III processorsMarch 8, 2000 |
In a race to supply the most powerful PC processor yet, Intel Corp. today launched its 1-gigahertz Pentium III at a price of $990 each in quantities of 1,000. As expected, the company said quantities of the 1-GHz Pentium III were limited.
The introduction comes two days after Advanced Micro Devices Inc. pushed up the launch of its 1-GHz Athlon microprocessor, which is priced at $1,299 in 1,000-unit quantities (see March 6 story). AMD in nearby Sunnyvale is also making available 900- and 950-MHz speed grades of the speedy Athlon processor. The available quantities of 1-GHz processors remained unclear, however. |
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Intel follows AMD with 1-GHz chipBy Stephanie Miles March 8, 2000 |
Hoping that late is truly better than never, chip giant Intel today released a Pentium III chip that runs at 1 GHz, two days after rival AMD unveiled its own processor.
As expected, Intel unveiled its new chip a month after it first introduced the technology. Dell, Hewlett-Packard and other major PC makers today also announced that they plan to ship new high-end computers with the fast chip installed. |
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Intel Launches 1GHz Pentium III Follows AMD In Reaching Gigahertz MilestoneBy Marcia Savage March 8, 2000 |
The chip race continues.
Intel Corp. launched its 1GHz Pentium III processor just two days after rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc.unveiled its 1GHz Athlon chip. "Intel's Pentium III processor operating at 1GHz is the highest performance microprocessor for PCs," said Paul Otellini, executive vice president and general manager of the Intel Architecture Business Group. |
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| March 8, 2000 | ||
1GHz: A new standardBy John Morris March 7, 2000 |
AMD and Intel have been racing to hit the 1GHz processor milestone, but AMD has won. PC Labs tests systems from
Compaq and Gateway that feature the fast new CPU.
The PC reached a major milestone yesterday with the official release of systems running at a whopping 1,000MHz. This number is, of course, destined to be just a speed bump on the computing industry's never-ending journey for more power. Then again, the turn of the millennium was just an arbitrary date on a calendar, but that didn't stop billions from turning out for the world's biggest bash. Similarly, for everyone who loves using PCs, as well as those who chronicle the industry, the arrival of 1,000MHz -- or the more elegant 1GHz -- is a noteworthy event. |
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The Day Ahead: AMD gets praise, but will it translate into profits?By Larry Barrett March 7, 2000 |
The future looks bright for AMD, although it still has a reputation for not producing the goods.
AMD may have temporarily stolen the limelight from Intel in the ongoing battle for microchip supremacy with its 1GHz Athlon chip. But if history is any indicator, AMD is going to have improve its shaky manufacturing reputation before Intel loses any sleep. |
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Analysis:
1GHz, great if you can get 'em
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Newly crowned champion of the 1GHz microprocessor race, Advance Micro Devices (AMD), sent its PR machine into
overdrive on Monday, describing the launch of its new super-chip in the same hushed tones spoken at the breaking of the sound
barrier and when man first stepped on the moon.
Clearly pleased with itself, the company, which is led by 62-year-old maverick Jerry Sanders, knows that winning the 1GHz race is a painful blow to arch adversary Intel. |
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The Register Files |
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Channel furious about Xeon support, i840 glitchesBy Mike Magee March 7, 2000 |
Problems with the i840 chip set have led to decline in revenues for distributors and dealers having stock of chips with no motherboard support, it has emerged.
A US dealer, who bought 40 Xeon processors on the 10th of January, told us today that his distributor has now received instructions from Intel to honour any dealer request who wishes to return processors because of the lack of mobo problem. |
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| March 7, 2000 | ||
AMD beats Intel to the 1-GHz processor punchMarch 6, 2000 |
Speeding up its product launch as well as its product, Advanced Micro Devices Inc. here today announced initial shipments of 1-gigahertz Athlon microprocessors. The first commercially available systems based on AMD's 1-GHz Athlon will be available from Compaq Computer Corp. and Gateway Inc.
Both AMD and rival Intel Corp. were expected to make 1-GHz announcements this week, but AMD apparently moved up by a couple of days. The action may have been precipitated by the accidental posting of launch details on AMD's website on Friday, which was reported by several news organizations. |
See Today's Related Stories |
Intel to match AMD at 1 GHz Wednesday, source saysBy James Nicholai March 6, 2000 |
INTEL WILL LAUNCH a 1-GHz Pentium III processor on Wednesday, a source close to the company said Monday, two days after arch-rival Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) released an Athlon processor running at the same speed.
IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and Dell Computer are expected to be among the first PC makers to offer systems with the high-speed Intel chip. Intel demonstrated 1-GHz Pentium III desktop PCs from those vendors last month at a conference for developers in Palm Springs, Calif. |
See Today's Related Stories |
AMD stock zooms on 1-GHz victoryBy Michael Kanellos March 6, 2000 |
AMD beat Intel to the market with a chip that hits the touted 1-GHz speed barrier, and its investors are reaping the benefits today.
AMD's stock jumped past $47 today, a new 52-week high and a mark close to AMD's all-time high of just over $49. Intel's shares have dipped a little more than $1 to around $117. The stock jump coincides with AMD's release of an Athlon processor for performance PCs that runs at one gigahertz, a speed milestone that companies have been racing to hit for more than a year. |
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Out of the shadows
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When a Transmeta Corp. co-founder was asked last month how the company plans to succeed in the hypercompetitive chip business, he replied, "We think about what AMD would do, and we do the opposite."
That reaction reflects the manufacturing, engineering and marketing blunders that, for years, characterized Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and made it the perennial also-ran to chip giant Intel Corp. |
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One-gig PCs offer speed--at a priceBy Joe Wilcox March 6, 2000 |
Fast, brawny 1-GHz, or "one-gig," PCs debut today, but all that power comes at a premium: Many of these systems cost as much as--or more than--a good used car.
In a market where consumers pay on average $1,200 for their PCs, the new one-gig PCs will cost as much as $4,500, according to PC makers. |
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AMD answers Intel's SpeedStep with PowerNowBy Don Reel March 6, 2000 |
AMD unveiled its answer to Intel's SpeedStep technology here on Monday at the Mobile Insights Conference. Still in development, the AMD process known as PowerNow matches CPU performance to the actual demands of the system.
Unlike Intel's SpeedStep, which was designed to optimize processor speeds for either A/C or D/C operation, PowerNow is designed specifically for substantial power savings and increased battery life for mobile users relying strictly on battery power. |
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Intel Technology Renders Mobile PCs Useless To ThievesBy Marcia Savage March 6, 2000 |
Intel Corp. on Monday unveiled a new technology to make mobile PCs more secure by rendering them useless to thieves.
The Intel Protected Access Architecture identifies a notebook PC owner through devices such as fingerprint readers, USB tokens or smart cards before the system boots up. The notebook will not boot up for an unauthorized user, consequently preventing access to data. |
See Today's Related Stories |
The Register Files |
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AMD suffers Gigglehurts hype attackBy Mike Magee March 6, 2000 |
You've got to giggle at the press release AMD put out signalling its PR triumph over the dark forces of Intel's massive PR department, if only for the level of hyperbole it reaches in places.
Before we start on that deliciousness however, let's get the nuts and bolts out of the way. AMD is shipping 1GHz Athlons, and Gateway and Compaq are shipping systems using the said beasts. It has also started selling 950MHz and 900MHz of Athlons. Prices for the 1GHz are $1,300/1000, for the 950 $1000/1000, and for the 900/$900. (We refuse to print the draper's disease prices which have 999 on the end, in the UK that's the number for the emergency services). |
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Intel's little 1GHz mysteries...By Mike Magee March 7, 2000 |
Some signs of a Dell page advertising 866MHz and 850MHz Pentium IIIs appeared and disappeared this morning even before we could tuck into our hot, piping, Ready
Brek.
Every dog has its day, and while yesterday was AMD's, we are now of the strong opinion that tomorrow will be Intel's, as it retaliates against the coverage that its smaller competitor got yesterday. The share price of AMD went, so to speak, through the sound barrier, closing at $47.5 yesterday evening (cough). |
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AMD US lags behind Euro Athlon demandBy Mike Magee March 6, 2000 |
That was the quickest conference call we ever had. After a 15 minute wait, Steve
Lapinski, who heads up Athlon product marketing at AMD, was there, ready and waiting, to take calls from the world press but almost as soon as we got one in, and before we could get another one in, the call went off air.
Our question to Lapinski, who we bumped against in CeBIT a couple of weeks back, was about its market share in the high performance (Athlon) desktop market in the first quarter of this year, and whether it could sustain that demand. |
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Today's Related Stories |
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AMD first to ship 1GHz processorBy Ken Popovich March 6, 2000 |
It's a whole new world in desktop processing power starting today.
Advanced Micro Devices Inc. this morning announced it has begun shipping 1GHz (or 1,000MHz) Athlon processors to customers, edging out rival Intel Corp. in the mad dash to reach this computing milestone. Intel is expected to announce its 1GHz Pentium III on Wednesday. |
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AMD Leaps To A GigahertzBy Marcia Savage March 6, 2000 |
Advanced Micro Devices Inc. on Monday leaped ahead in its race with Intel Corp. to reach the gigahertz mark.
AMD, based here, launched an Athlon processor operating at 1GHz, beating Intel to the clock speed milestone. Intel, however, is not far behind and is expected to launch a 1GHz Pentium III this week. The chip makers have been in a tight race to a gigahertz and have been leapfrogging each other in clock speed for the last several months. |
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AMD makes move to 1-GHz chipBy Joe Wilcox and Michael Kanellos March 6, 2000 |
AMD trumped Intel today by releasing the 1-GHz Athlon processor, currently the fastest chip on the market, although Intel will follow with its own 1-GHz chip on Wednesday.
Reaching the speed threshold, long a landmark since chip power has increased exponentially in recent years, may be more than symbolic. PC makers backing the 1-GHz Athlon say they have plenty of chips and will begin taking orders this week. Computers with 1-GHz Pentium IIIs will come out later this week, but they will likely be in very limited supply. Some PC makers won't launch these computers for a while. |
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Intel readying security spec for notebook PCsBy Ken Popovich March 6, 2000 |
Intel Corp. plans to announce this week a new security architecture designed to make stolen notebooks "as useful as bricks."
The new preboot security method, which is based on IPAA (Intel Protected Access Architecture), will integrate additional software and hardware components into laptops to provide an added level of protection, said officials at the Santa Clara, Calif., company. |
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| March 6, 2000 | ||
Advanced Micro Trumps Archrival Intel With First 1 Gigahertz ProcessorBy Molly Williams March 5, 2000 |
Advanced Micro Devices Inc. has started shipping processors that run at 1
gigahertz, beating rival Intel Corp., the world's largest chipmaker, to the milestone in computing by just days.
AMD will announce tomorrow that it is selling the Athlon 1GHz chips; Intel is expected to make a similar announcement on Wednesday, analysts said. AMD leapt ahead of Intel last month with the announcement of a 850 MHz processor, and the two had been racing to be first to announce the 1 GHz version. |
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AMD phasing out K6-III as speed race heats upBy Michael Kanellos March 3, 2000 |
Amid the race between AMD and Intel to release chips running at 1 GHz, AMD is phasing out its K6-III processor line.
The K6-III, an enhanced version of AMD's budget K6-2 processor, appears to be headed for the same fate as Apple's Newton, the AMC Pacer and other once-futuristic products that never quite found a viable niche. Although the processor performed well on benchmark tests, the chip proved a shade too expensive for the budget PC market, analysts said. Unlike the K6-2, the processor contains 256KB of integrated cache memory. The integrated cache boosts performance, but also adds costs. |
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Sun, Intel square off over Itanium supportBy Stephen Shankland March 3, 2000 |
Sun Microsystems and Intel are in a high-stakes game of chicken in a debate about which company needs the other more in the e-commerce world.
Two weeks ago, Intel said it was rapidly winding down efforts to bring Sun's Solaris operating system to Intel's upcoming flagship Itanium chip. Sun, said Intel, wasn't doing enough to encourage software companies to rework their programs for the effort. |
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Chip makers to develop faster DDR SDRAM standardBy Jack Robertson March 3, 2000 |
In the latest volley over next-generation DRAM performance, memory-chip makers next week will meet to begin designing a so-called PC3200 double-data-rate device that will compete head-on with the latest Direct Rambus architecture.
The DDR SDRAM interface will incorporate BGA packaging to reduce leads and match the data bandwidth of the dual-channel Direct Rambus DRAM that Intel Corp. unveiled at last month's Intel Developer Forum. The Rambus chips are designed to support Intel's upcoming Willamette microprocessor. |
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The Register Files |
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AMD puts Intel on 1GHz ropes -- confirmedBy Mike Magee March 5, 2000 |
In the frantic battle between AMD and Intel to get a working 1GHz processor to market, it seems the bantam weight has dealt heavyweight Chipzilla something of an uppercut.
A message has just appeared on its Web site here, saying it will launch its 1GHz Athlon processor tomorrow. The announcement also says that PC vendors will follow it by talking about their own plans. Both Compaq and Gateway showed 1GHz Athlon demos at CeBIT ten days back. |
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How AMD beat Intel to 1GHz chipBy Mike Magee March 3, 2000 |
Intel has clearly lost the PR war it has engaged in with AMD to bring a 1GHz x86 microprocessor to the market first.
Earlier on this week, we reported that Intel has plans to trickle out a 1GHz microprocessor, although the press relations division declined to confirm or deny that point. We reported yesterday that the likely dribble of Intel's 1GHz chip was the eighth of this month. |
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Intel's boxed desktop roadmap revealedBy Mike Magee March 5, 2000 |
As we've noted here many times before, Intel has several sets of roadmaps -- those for public consumption, those addressed to its partners and system builders, and those really secret ones that only its primary OEMs, such as the Dull Corporation, get.
If you can manage to look at several sets of these together, it's possible to piece out the firm's strategy a little better, although we've a suspicion there's a big team of roadmap draughtspeople somewhere in the world who can tear'em'up and start all over again at a moment's whim. |
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Willamette explained by WillamettianBy Team Register March 3, 2000 |
"According to my daughter's homework today, the sound of a vowel in syllable which is not accented is called a schwa. I have lived for 51 years not knowing this. The a in
america, the u in bonus, and the i in Willamette are all examples of this.
"Yes, we do live on the Willamette river here in Oregon, and in the Willamette valley. So are Intel's research, fab and marketing facilities located in the Willamette valley, which used to be a huge inland sea before a big earthquake or volcano compromised the end of the lake (40 miles wide by 100 miles long) and let all the water flow into the ocean. |
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